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Albany Main Office
959 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12206

Sharon Springs Office 
105 Beechwood Rd 
Sharon Springs, NY 13459

Phone: (518) 813-9290

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Sage-Femme Midwifery

Sage-Femme Midwifery

Sage-Femme Midwifery is an independent midwifery practice offering home birth midwifery care.

Aviva telling like it was and is!
I always say … eventually the medical model will validate what we midwives have known (and have put into practice) all along….. then they will take credit by claiming it was their idea!!! 😂😂😂

Aviva telling like it was and is!
I always say … eventually the medical model will validate what we midwives have known (and have put into practice) all along….. then they will take credit by claiming it was their idea!!! 😂😂😂When I was first attending births in 1984, the obstetric model was to cut the umbilical cord immediately after birth & take baby away for evaluation & a first bath. This was based on the belief that placental blood flow would increase birth complications for babies.

Even back then, we midwives knew to do it differently. We waited until the placenta stopped pulsating—10 or more minutes—before clamping and cutting the cord. Babies did great, placentas came out readily & all was good—even if our methods were considered silly by doctors.

Times change and science has caught up. The midwives were right! We now know that immediate cord cutting, unless there’s a medical emergency that requires it, is not recommended. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends a delay in umbilical cord clamping for at least 30-60 seconds, and the WHO recommends 2-3 minutes.

The benefits of waiting include:

❣️ Transfer to baby of immunoglobulins & stem cells, which are essential for tissue & organ repair
❣️ Extra iron for baby, which has been shown to prevent deficiency in the first year of life
❣️ Possible reduced risk of hemorrhage & easier placental delivery for mom

While jaundice can develop from delayed cord cutting due to this influx of blood, this type of jaundice is not usually a medical problem. Baby will naturally clear this excess iron by pooping. Your midwife or pediatrician will keep an eye on baby over the first few days to make sure it’s clearing. The benefits of delayed cord cutting are more profound for baby than the risk of this jaundice.

Unfortunately, immediate cord clamping/cutting are still common practice in hospitals. You have to let your midwife or doctor know that you want to wait, with baby tummy to tummy on you, while you do. I recommend bringing this up with your care provider in advance to ensure that they are on board to do ‘delayed cord clamping and cutting’. Get specific with exactly how long you want baby to be connected to the placenta.

Unsure how to advocate for yourself? Want guidance on pregnancy, birth, and newborn care? I have just the course for you, launching soon. Stay tuned ❣️

Drop your questions and thoughts below!

image by @monetnicolebirths ... See MoreSee Less

6 hours ago

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