Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Questions about Home Birth | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
I am a first time mother and am 30 years old. We live far from the hospital so am thinking there is a possibility of having the baby at home. My question is, how to cut the umbilical cord. Is it connected to me or to the placenta? I just want to be completely prepared should anything happen, and none of the doctors in the office I go to seem to want to explain this to me. Can you help?— JP in Michigan | | | ANSWER |
August 17, 2001 | | | Dear JP,
First labors are usually many hours long, and there is plenty of time to get to the hospital. Talk to your doctor about how far away you live, and how to recognize when you are in labor.
I thought after reading your note that maybe you sort of like the idea of having the baby at home and are trying to prepare for that. Your doctors may be sensing this and don't answer your questions out of their own concerns about home birth. The decision to have a baby at home is a big commitment--it means you are taking a huge responsibility on yourself and your family. For a safe home birth, you would want to have an experienced doctor or midwife present, and a plan for what you would do in case of an emergency. Giving birth at home definitely should not be a last minute decision!
Assuming you are planning to try to get to the hospital, if you were to have an unusually short labor and inadvertently give birth at home or en route, you should call 911 and have the emergency squad help you. They will be set up to cut the cord when it is necessary. If you should give birth before the squad gets there, dry off the baby and keep her warm. It will not harm her to stay attached to the cord until help arrives.
Hopefully with some planning and a good awareness of when your labor is starting, you will have ample time to get to the hospital for the birth of your little one. Take care of yourself and your family-to-be!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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