CORD CLAMPING/CUTTING

One of the most important factors for a healthy third stage is having good levels of oxytocin, the hormone of love. Oxytocin has a powerful effecton a birthing mother's uterus, initiating the contractions of labour and causing ongoing contractions after birth. These contractions are necessary to stop bleeding and to encourage the baby's placenta to separate easily. Oxytocin levels will naturally be very high after an undisturbed birth, but levels will be affected if the labouring woman has felt disturbed, unsafe or lacking in privacy.2

Oxytocin is also a hormone of bonding- levels are increased after birth when mother and baby are skin-to-skin and eye-to-eye. Oxytocin also causes dilation of blood vessels on the new mother's chest which makes a natural warming mechanism for the baby3 that is more efficient that wrapping (or an incubator)3 4 and that gives perfect skin-to-skin conditions for mother and baby to fall in love, as Mother Nature intends.

For oxytocin to work perfectly during third stage, the new mother needs to feel private, safe and undisturbed at this time. As Michel Odent suggests, she should have nothing to do but touch and gaze at her new baby.5 A warm atmosphere is also crucial to enhance oxytocin release. If the new mother is fearful, cold or disturbed, her oxytocin levels can be affected which can increase her risk of bleeding. We should consider this time, after the birth, in the same light as love-making (when we also make peak levels of oxytocin, the hormone of love) and offer the new mother and baby the same privacy and respect.

With this in mind, I do not recommend clamping or cutting the cord, at least until the baby's placenta is delivered and possibly for an hour after birth. Not only does this activity disturb the sacredness of this time, but it can also seriously affect the well-being of mother and baby.

For example, early clamping (within 30 seconds ofbirth) can deprive the baby of around 100 ml of blood, and may compromise the function of newborn organs and brain.6 This blood, known as the placental transfusion, is passed through the cord from the placenta to the baby with each uterine contraction in third stage, and is designed to fill all the organs that the baby has not used in the womb- the lungs, kidney, gut, liver and skin. Early-clamped babies also lose the iron contained in the placental transfusion -- which is equivalent to the iron in 100 litres of breastmilk -- and are more likely to be anemic at 3 months.7 Early clamping is necessary for cord blood collection, which is one reason I do not recommend this.

Clamping the cord may also be harmful for the mother, because if the blood (placental transfusion) hasn't been passed to the baby, it will remain in the placenta, making it bulkier. This makes the placenta harder to deliver and can also compromise the mother's uterus, which cannot contract as efficiently with a bulky placenta inside. Clamping the cord was obviously never practiced by our ancestors, nor by our mammalian cousins and is, I believe, a significant birth intervention.
http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/buckley-archive3.html#cutcord

early vs. late cord clamping
http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/odent-archive.html#cord-clamping

umbilical cord issues
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/cordIssues.html

To My Unborn Baby

My precious, little baby how you make my heart melt,

You've given mommy a joy that has never been felt.

You create a glow in me that has never been seen,

God's perfect work, my little "jelly bean"!

 

I can't wait to meet you face-to-face,

And to feel your warmth on our first embrace.

With love you were made by daddy and me,

And love we will give you until eternity.

 

With His hands He is forming you so truly unique,

Growing in your mommy with each new week.

But, oh, I pray you have your daddy's smile,

The first thing I noticed when I walked down the aisle.

 

I hope you take this world on with a sense of wonder,

With pressures and trials, may you never buckle under.

Have strength and courage to go after your dreams,

And the faith of holding His Name in esteem.

 

You will make me proud in all that you do,

With your hand in my hand I will help you through.

I will be by your side through all your years,

All the cheers and tears and fears; I will be here!

mo-mo twins?

yesterday i went in for a ultra sound and see the doc.  I'm now about 10-11 weeks.  Anyway, durring my ulrasound the tech like freake dout and didnt even finsh the exam she told me to get dressed and wait in the waiting room. i wasn't sure what spooked her, but  i calmy said "okay, thankyou" and got dressed and went out to wait.  While sitting there i was wondering about what could it have been that spooked her. I understood that one was the right size and the other twin was about 2 weeks smaller, but thats not new. And they didnt seem to be conjoined,. so i really didnt know what to think so i watched some of the tv that was on about the texas storm and the 9/11 concert that they were having..

Later when i was called in by a nurse, she took my weight and blood pressure and told me the doctor would be in to see me in a few mins.  What a goddamn lie.  I read 1 magazine like 3 times before the doc decided to show up. :-/

But the doc  was a really nice guy, he explained to me that the U/S may have dected that i am having monoamniotic Twins. I wasn't sure about how to react to this news, as only 1% of people which identail 

twins obtain this situation. The doc drew out pictures and explained to me what monoamniotic Twins were exactly. 

For that i was greatful that this doc was not a dick. at least he bothered to make me feel better by explaining what 

to do next as well.

I have an appt with a high-risk specialist on the 22, 10 days from now and a doctors appt again on Thursday.  

My Husband is much more vocal in his thoughts then i am, only sometimes am i greatful for this - and his mom

has been kept updated. My mom doesnt know anything about my life.. I havent talked to her since the beginning 

of july.. she really just is so frustering to deal with. I know i should tell her, but when i was pregnent last time and

told her, i had a miscarriage, she teold me she thinks its great that i miscarriged and asked me if i felt the same way.

So my reason for not telling her is VERY VALID. She likes to hurt my feelings.

I really want everything to be okay with these guys. and the scary thing is that their cords coud get tangeled or something and thats not a comforting thought at all :(  i serached about this phemonon on google and found some communities and have just been reading though what people have been posting.  It seems :'( that in my situation i'd have to be inpatient at the hostpital :'(

But! they also said that this is often misdiagnosed, about 70% of the time, and that it would be easier to tell around my 12th week. So fo that i'll wipe my tears and hope some more for the very best.

at a 60% survival rate, mono-mono twins are pretty rare i guess.. :)  and my husband is still intent on wanting them to be boys o.0 i'll be happy if they are healty :D 

Lets all hope for  the very best!