Yet again, I read about it. A baby born in the car, on the way to the hospital, and the 911 operator coached the father to tie off the umbilical cord with his dirty shoelace. We should NEVER be tying off an umbilical cord with non-sterile items. Why not? In a word, bacteria. There are […]
Optimal Umbilical Cord Clamping
Dr. Alan Greene gives us an insightful look into the practice of immediate clamping of the umbilical cord and the detriments of doing so. These include: decrease of red blood cells, decrease of white blood cells, decrease in baby’s iron levels and decreased oxygen levels. His talk is thorough and compelling. He advocates for waiting at least […]
What about that Cord Blood?
When baby is born there is still blood left in the umbilical cord. This blood is being transferred to the baby from the placenta. So, what to do with the cord blood? You have four choices: Dispose of it Pay a private cord blood bank to keep it for you to use later, if needed […]