There is no rush to cut an umbilical cord in nature. It is vital that the cord be left intact until the child is breathing well on hir own. Oxygen supplied by the placenta makes the transition from the watery womb to dry land much easier on tiny lungs. The "clamping upon emergence" protocol followed in many modern hospitals is nothing less than an assault on the newborn child.
In a normal birth, the child emerges and utilizes the oxygen flowing through the umbilical cord for the transition period after birth. A nursling at the breast is one of Nature's cues to shut down the placenta and empty the womb but this isn't always possible when the cord is short.
Ideally, the placenta will be out and in a bowl beside the beside the baby before the cord is cut. There is typically no hurry to cut the cord and, in fact, many of the standard problems (bleeding, infection, etc.) decrease with each passing hour. If you wait long enough, you might not require a clamp at all as the site "clamps" itself from the inside. Some women report that letting the cord wait for several hours and cutting without clamping results in a cord stump that curls itself into a round button shape. There are baby books out there with the baby's "belly button" proudly displayed in them. :)
Some families choose not to cut the cord at all and allow the placenta and child to separate themselves (Lotus birthing). They may view cord cutting as a form of violence against the child and its "little mother" (placenta) as such practices usually require a great deal of spiritual discipline. Needless to say, this idea appeals to few families today but it is an option.
If the cord needs to be cut before the placenta is delivered it must be tied off to prevent the baby from bleeding out of the wound. Umbilical tape, dental tape (not floss) or even braided embroidery flosses have made excellent "cord clamps" for many babies.
There is blood pulsing through the umbilical cord until it expires. Cutting the cord while it still pulses is common in a hospital setting but it is a last-resort, one-in-a-million intervention in most home births. Preserving that lifeline is an important part of birthing normally.
If the cord is cut before it expires, plastic cord clamps or hemostats are required to quickly and effectively clamp off the blood flow to and from the baby's placenta. Embroidery floss won't hack it in an emergency. If you're the type who wants to prepare for every last possible birth problem you could invest in a pair of plastic cord clamps. The chances that you'll need them are pretty darn slim though. The most common reason cords are clamped early in homebirths is "umbilical cord wrapped around neck and impeding birth". The umbilical cord is commonly wrapped around the neck during birth (it's a "good place" for it) but it rarely impedes the birth. Only one in a million mothers will need those cord clamps.
Metal-handled scissors can be boiled to sterilize or swabbed liberally with alcohol just before cutting the cord. The idea of clamping in two places and cutting between the clamps is prudent when the placenta hasn't delivered but isn't required once it too is Earthside. Some parents choose to do it anyway to prevent leakage from the placenta side.
If you choose to clamp (or tie) do it about an inch or so from the baby's belly and cut close to it so the stump isn't so long it catches on things.
There are several things you can put on your baby's umbilical stump but all it really requires is air and sunshine. Most mothers are warned to keep the stump dry in the US but mothers around the world bathe with their infants and don't give it another thought. If the stump looks red or weepy, the best "remedy" is breastmilk. Breastmilk is a natural, safe, free product with well documented anti-bacterial properties. (You can use it for those yucky newborn eye discharges too. :)
The Midwife Archives ~ Umbilical cord issues
cbirth archives ~ Cutting the cord
"Not so fast, Doc" ~ I wrote this one for Epinions a few years back on the issue of early cord clamping.
cordclamping.com ~ An entire website devoted to ending the routine practice of early cord clamping.
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