HealthPartners - Preparing for childbirth

PLACENTA OPTIONS What happens to the placenta depends on several factors. Your health care provider may want to have it analyzed for information about different health aspects of your pregnancy and birth. If your provider doesn’t need to send the placenta to the lab, you can either discard it or take it home with you. If you are taking it home, you may need to sign a release form for the hospital and will need to arrange for someone to pick it up and refrigerate it promptly.

LABOR AND BIRTH

UMBILICAL CORD Cutting the umbilical cord is one of the last steps in the labor process. You get to decide who will cut the cord, and often your spouse or partner will look forward to this opportunity. Before cutting, the cord will be clamped with a small plastic device near its base on the baby. A second clamp defines the area where it’s safe to cut the cord with a pair of scissors. The umbilical cord doesn’t have any nerve fibers so there’s no pain when it’s cut. DELAYED CORD CLAMPING Many hospitals and birth centers now practice delayed cord clamping. This is simply waiting to cut the cord until the blood in the cord has time to flow into the baby or until after you deliver the placenta. This blood is rich in iron. It can increase the baby’s own iron supply, promoting healthy brain development and lowering the risk of anemia.

CORD BLOOD BANKING Cord blood banking is the practice of collecting leftover blood from the umbilical cord and placenta after a birth. Cord blood has stem cells, which may be lifesaving for people with certain cancers, blood disorders, and immune diseases. Collected blood can be stored in a public or a private cord blood bank. If you want your cord blood collected after birth, talk with your health care provider at least 2 months before your due date so arrangements can be made with the birth facility.

Your baby’s umbilical cord is attached to the placenta 1

The umbilical cord is clamped in 2 places and then cut 2

The blood is drained through a tube into a special collection bag 3

Package the collection kit and ship it to your chosen facility for processing and storage 4

The cord blood stem cells are preserved in a liquid nitrogen storage tank in a secure facility 5

PERINEAL REPAIR Your perineum is the area between your vaginal opening and anus. It is common for this area to tear during childbirth. Or your health care provider may make a perineal incision called an episiotomy to allow more room for the baby to come out. In most cases, you’ll receive stitches to repair the area soon after birth. With local pain medication, you’ll probably feel some pulling and tugging but no sharp pain. The stitches will dissolve in your tissues and won’t have to be removed. Your nurse or medical provider will tell you how to take care of your perineum or stitches (“peri care”) before you go home. Applying an ice pack can help with discomfort and swelling.

Chapter 4: Labor and Birth

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