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[Biology] The umbilical cord: is it 'necessary' to sever it, or is it designed to disconnect on its own eventually? (lemmy.world)

submitted 9 months ago by 58008@lemmy.world to c/askscience@lemmy.world

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What are the consequences of not severing it? I imagine you'd have the weirdest bellybutton on earth if nothing else.

Cheers!

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[-] godzillabacter@lemmy.world 184 points 9 months ago

This is an alternative birth method called "lotus birth" or more formally "umbilical non-severance" in which babies are left tethered to the delivered placenta until their cord desiccates and detaches from their body on its own, usually in 3-10 days, while applying salt to the placenta to increase the speed at which it dries. It will eventually fall off, however, after its delivery the placenta is no longer being supplied with the oxygenated blood it needs to survive, and becomes necrotic (dead). This can act as an easy entry point for infectious organisms to enter the neonate, and can result in life-threatening infections. Neither the American College of Obstetrics or the American Academy of Pediatrics have explicit guidance statements as to whether this should be recommended against. AAP has published that there have been multiple case reports of severe infections with various bacteria secondary to this practice.

This should not be confused/conflated with Delayed Cord Clamping, which is waiting 30-60 seconds after the baby's delivery for some of the residual fetal blood in the placenta to be delivered to the baby's circulation to prevent anemia. This has good evidence for benefit to the baby, is recommended by ACOG, and is basically standard of care in the US.

Source: ACOG and AAP publications, also I'm a 4th year medical student that has completed OBGYN rotations

[-] thefartographer@lemm.ee 51 points 9 months ago

... desiccates... in 3-10 days, while applying salt...

Forbidden jerky

[-] protist@mander.xyz 46 points 9 months ago

You joke, but there are literally people who eat their own placenta. I know someone who did. Crystals and essential oils and energy healing and all that, you know. I don't talk about that kind of stuff with her because for some reason we just can't seem to find common ground lol

[-] thefartographer@lemm.ee 11 points 9 months ago

I've heard of people getting placenta pills to deal with the anemia after birth. I don't plan on having kids and thus have never been interested enough to research it.

[-] protist@mander.xyz 16 points 9 months ago

Iron supplements also work 😂

[-] Telorand@reddthat.com 10 points 9 months ago

The placenta is not pleasant to look at, so I can imagine pills make it more palatable. I don't think a lot of study has been done on the effects of eating placenta after birth, but it's technically a separate organ that belongs to the baby.

So no matter how you spin it, they're eating baby organs.

[-] godzillabacter@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Doesn't actually belong to the baby, it's a hybrid organ that contains DNA and tissue that comes from both the mother and the fetus.

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2 points 9 months ago

Pop that sucker into a blender and you don't have to worry about how it looks. Mmm Mmm placenta milkshake.

[-] Kallioapina@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Here's a relevant link to an 2000's Finnish tv travel/cooking show Madventures and their placenta dish. I think I'd rather take it in pill form.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=15wqaGATHnA

[-] ReiRose@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Ive heard of people using the placenta pills to help reduce postpartum depression. Not sure if that works. But research has been done to show it reduces bleeding after birth if consumed immediately.

Terrible source but its late and im tired: "Postpartum hemorrhage has been controlled by using a small quarter-size piece of placenta placed in the mother’s cheek or chewed by the mother first and then held between her cheek and gum" https://www.midwiferytoday.com/mt-articles/the-power-of-placenta/

[-] Duranie@literature.cafe 11 points 9 months ago

Yeah, my critical thinking self wonders what kind of magic makes bleeding stop by putting a piece of meat in your cheek.

[-] SoleInvictus@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

My money is on it being the elemental power of bullshit. It's likely the same ingredient that makes homeopathy actually 'do' anything: time i.e., it would have happened at that point regardless.

[-] howrar@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

Bleeding stops when the uterus shrinks back down so the huge open wound left behind by the placenta becomes a small wound. Oxytocin makes that happen, and you get that by just holding your baby. I don't know how eating the placenta would contribute.

[-] ironeagl@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago

hormones? the body has many magic chemicals.

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[-] SelfHigh5@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

Oh, surely there must be another way! No thank you! 🙃

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[-] KISSmyOS@feddit.de 6 points 9 months ago

Maybe you could bond over dinner and a fine glass of urine.

[-] e_t_@kbin.pithyphrase.net 5 points 9 months ago

Lots of mammals eat the placenta. Eating it recovers some nutrients for the mother. No woo required.

[-] protist@mander.xyz 16 points 9 months ago

As humans who have plenty food, no placenta eating is required to get enough nutrients

[-] howrar@lemmy.ca 3 points 9 months ago

But it is probably the most environmentally friendly source of nutrients.

[-] e_t_@kbin.pithyphrase.net 2 points 9 months ago

Vast numbers of humans live in poverty and may not have abundant nutrients. Would that your statement was universally true.

[-] protist@mander.xyz 2 points 9 months ago

There is an assumption that everyone surfing Lemmy are from developed countries. I'm not generalizing the western placenta eating experience to Somalia or Bangladesh

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[-] SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 months ago

Or she could have a Boost supplemental nutrition drink and have it taste like chocolate instead of blood and placenta.

[-] idiomaddict@feddit.de 3 points 9 months ago

I’m a vegan who smokes weed and I think that’s the extent of my woo (though Ron Swanson would certainly disagree, I’m very often struck by how much woo German medical doctors are allowed to push).

I’d want to do it, partly because the large quantity of bioavailable iron calls to me, but also because of the oxytocin and potential bonding effects (if it doesn’t have any, it doesn’t have any: no harm done). I don’t think I want it enough to really push back against a doctor/hospital that didn’t want to allow it, but I might look for one that is open to it.

[-] LocoOhNo@lemmus.org 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I have a friend that became one of those people after high school. She made a killing for a few years from whacky people who wanted her to make the placenta into Christmas ornaments... She tried showing me photos of her stretching it over glass balls but I couldn't stomach it.

[-] gibmiser@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago

Lol at leaving rotting meat attached to a baby for a week. Genius.

[-] godzillabacter@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

I personally wouldn't recommend it, I've seen babies die miserable deaths of sepsis and it's heartbreaking. But I'm not going into pediatrics or OBGYN so thankfully this isn't gonna be a discussion I have to have.

[-] medgremlin@midwest.social 4 points 9 months ago

I'm aiming for EM and I used to work at a level 1 peds ER. I have heard some astonishingly stupid things and fully expect to hear more.

[-] godzillabacter@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

I'm putting in my rank list for EM right now. Some people certainly have some...peculiar...ideas about health and healthcare.

[-] medgremlin@midwest.social 2 points 9 months ago

Good luck on your match! I'm still in second year, but I'm already reaching out to programs about setting up auditions and whatnot because I'm attending a small/new DO school, so I don't really have establishment or prestige on my side.

[-] godzillabacter@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

It's awesome that you're already setting some stuff up. Feel free to DM me if you've got any questions!

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[-] Harbinger01173430@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago

...this is why mom animals in nature just eat the placenta and get it over with or something. I saw it on discovery channel

[-] godzillabacter@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago

Well they don't eat it to get it off of the baby. While I'm not a vet or a zoologist, my understanding is they eat it for the nutrients as well as to help remove the scent, and newborn animals are easy prey and targeted by predators.

[-] Harbinger01173430@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

Human moms hate this simple trick!

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[-] Ashiette@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 9 months ago

They don't eat it ONLY to get it off the baby

[-] Shelena@feddit.nl 3 points 9 months ago

Thanks. Very interesting!

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[-] lgmjon64@lemmy.world 27 points 9 months ago

It probably wouldn't make any difference in the appearance of the belly button, because eventually it work dry up and fall off, just like if you were to clamp and cut it. There are definite benefits to delaying the clamping of the cord. There is a lot of blood in the cord and placenta that is lost that could be auto transfused to the baby if the cord is left intact.

The main problem with leaving the cord and placenta intact is that there is a risk for infection or blood loss. Also it would look really gross in the baby pictures.

[-] idiomaddict@feddit.de 2 points 9 months ago

My parents cut the cord within a few minutes of my birth, but my umbilical stump/future navel got infected, and my bellybutton is 100% normal.

[-] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 13 points 9 months ago

The real question to me is what happens with animals in the wild?

[-] its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works 15 points 9 months ago

Most bite through it when they are in the process of consuming the cord and placenta.

[-] mysoulishome@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Nature videos exist and in my area you can go to the county fair and watch cows be born….

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[-] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 9 points 9 months ago

Just gnaw it off

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

"Oh my God what is that?!"

"It's my umbilical cord..."

"They never removed it when you were born?"

"It's just taped on... It's uh... Just for fun."

[-] SPRUNT@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Do you want a Quato? Because that's how you get a Quato.

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this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2024

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