The Pulsing of the Umbilical Cord

Did you know that the pulsing of the umbilical cord comes not from the mother but from the baby? The action of the baby's heart pumping his/her blood back to the placenta to get re-oxygenated, is what causes the cord to pulse.

An umbilical cord is usually made up of three veins, (rarely 2 or 4 veins) the deeper one remains open even after the cord stops pulsing. In this vein, blood still flows/drains to the baby from uterine contractions of the mother or slow drainage after the placenta detaches. Babies continue to receive this blood even after the placenta has been separated, detached and delivered, and yes, even after the cord has stopped pulsing!

There is a common misconception even amongst birth professionals that once the cord stops pulsing, the baby is no longer using it.

Comments from other women concerning their experiences;

This is one of the reasons I decided on lotus birth and it is why I was not that impressed when for Aliani's birth, my midwife told me to feel the cord to show me it was not pulsing anymore. (She was concerned). I just could not recall why at the time - all I had to go by was my complete confidence that this pause of cord pulsing was not an issue.
I mentioned this to another homebirth midwife in Oregon who agreed strongly, saying that some people will feel the cord and respond that "it's not pulsing anymore" when in fact it still is - usually too slight to feel in the middle, or more obviously at the umbilicus.

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