Doula's Comment on When to Cut the Cord

A mother asks, when to cut the umbilical cord to be sure that all of the blood gets to the baby. 

I noticed that home birth cords always seemed to pulsate longer than hospital birth cords.... I asked a midwife and she explained that a cord may visually appear to have stopped pulsing but that if you feel it between your fingers you will find that it is still pulsing, you can ask to check that way before cutting. 

After the cord stops pulsating, it is okay to cut the cord. The blood is done moving from the mom to the baby. I doubt there is any research to support that home birth cords pulsate longer. There is just less urgency and rush to cut the cord in a home birth. Each mom is individual, and a cord will pulsate individually, and on average it is about 10-15 minutes after the baby is born.

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