What to Do?

If the cord is seen once the head has emerged, if so inclined, the mother can hook the cord with a finger and try pulling it over the baby's head gently. This is not recommended.

It is recommended that the mother continues birthing instinctively and pays no heed to the cord until after the baby has been birthed.

Unless the cord is hindering descent or birth, there isn't really much of a reason to go fiddling with it.

Some mothers describe their babies "somersaulting" out as they are born, where the baby's head stays close to the mother's body as their body is birthed out.

"Emergency Childbirth - A Manual" by Dr White states;

• During birth, do not attempt to unwind cord around neck. Wait til birth is complete.
• After baby is born, courd should NOT be tied and cut at once.

When to fiddle:

If the cord seems to be too short to allow the baby to descend, and the mother senses a real problem, it may be necessary to clamp and cut the cord for her to be able to birth the baby.

This is rare, and should only be used as an absolute LAST resort.

The umbilical cord is very important - it is the baby's lifeline, supplying oxygenated blood until the baby finishes his/her transition from cord dependance to lung dependance. Early cord clamping and cutting is detrimetal to the health of babies so serious consideration should be given to cutting the cord before the placenta is even birthed and ESPECIALLY when it is fat and blue.

If you NEED to cut the cord before the baby is born, clamp it in two places first and cut in between the clamps. Then, once the baby is out and you can tell which side of the cord is which, take off the maternal clamp so blood can flow freely.

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