By Lovetti Lafua
Nurse • Midwife • Biologist • Maternal Health Advocate • Human Optimization Researcher
The moment a baby is born is often treated as the finish line of labour. In reality, it is the beginning of one of the most extraordinary physiological transitions in human life.
For generations, hospitals routinely clamped and cut the umbilical cord within seconds of birth. It became such a familiar sight that many parents assumed it was both natural and necessary. Television dramas reinforced the image: baby born, cord cut, placenta forgotten.
Yet modern research tells a very different story.
A newborn is not “finished” the instant they emerge from the womb. In those first few minutes, the placenta is still working. Oxygen rich blood continues to flow through the umbilical cord, delivering red blood cells, iron, stem cells and vital nutrients that support the baby’s transition to life outside the uterus.
When the cord is clamped too soon, this natural transfer is interrupted. The baby loses part of the blood that nature intended to be theirs.
Rather than rushing to cut the cord, perhaps the better question is this:
What beautiful, meaningful things can happen while we simply allow nature to finish its work?
Here are ten wonderful things you can do before clamping the umbilical cord.
- Hold Your Baby Skin-to-Skin
The first place your baby belongs is on your chest.
Skin-to-skin contact helps regulate your baby’s breathing, heart rate, temperature and blood sugar. It encourages calmness, reduces stress hormones and stimulates the release of oxytocin the hormone of love, bonding and birth.
These first cuddles are not simply emotional; they are deeply biological.
Meanwhile, your baby continues receiving the final portion of their placental blood supply.
- Fall in Love
Birth is more than a medical event.
It is the beginning of a lifelong relationship.
Take time to gaze into your baby’s face, speak softly, cry, laugh, or simply breathe together. These first moments are flooded with oxytocin, creating powerful neurological and emotional connections between parent and baby.
Keeping the environment peaceful with dim lighting, minimal interruptions and gentle voices also supports placental separation and may reduce the risk of excessive bleeding.
There is no rush.
- Allow Your Baby to Receive Their First Microbiome
The moment of birth is also the beginning of your baby’s microbial journey.
As babies are born vaginally and placed immediately on their mother’s skin, they are naturally exposed to beneficial bacteria that help establish their developing immune system.
Scientists continue discovering just how important these early microbial transfers are for lifelong health.
Nature has been orchestrating this process for thousands of years.
- Let Your Baby Breastfeed
Many parents are surprised to learn that breastfeeding can begin before the cord is cut.
In most births, the umbilical cord is long enough for your baby to crawl or be guided toward the breast while remaining connected to the placenta.
Early breastfeeding stimulates oxytocin, encourages uterine contractions, supports placental birth and helps establish milk production.
All without interrupting the baby’s placental transfusion.
- Count Tiny Fingers and Toes
Every family seems to do it.
One tiny finger.
Another tiny finger.
Ten tiny toes.
Although there may not be scientific evidence proving the importance of counting fingers and toes, there is certainly something wonderfully human about pausing to marvel at the little person you’ve just welcomed into the world.
These are moments you’ll never forget.
- If Cord Blood Tests Are Needed, They Can Usually Wait for the Cord to Stay Intact
Sometimes healthcare professionals recommend taking cord blood samples, such as blood gas analysis or Coombs testing.
Many people assume the cord must be clamped immediately to do this.
In most situations, that simply isn’t true.
Research has shown that cord blood samples can often be collected while the umbilical cord remains intact, preserving the baby’s placental transfusion without compromising the accuracy of testing.
If investigations are suggested, ask whether they can be performed before clamping the cord.
As with every aspect of maternity care, informed consent matters.
- Give Birth to the Placenta
The placenta deserves patience too.
Whether you choose a physiological or actively managed third stage, allowing the cord to remain intact often supports a smoother transition for both mother and baby.
Even during caesarean birth, many healthcare professionals are now waiting longer before clamping the cord, recognising the benefits of placental transfusion.
Birth doesn’t end when the baby arrives.
The placenta has one final job to complete.
- Take a Moment to Appreciate the Placenta
Few organs perform such extraordinary work.
For months it has nourished, protected and oxygenated your baby, removed waste products and produced hormones essential for pregnancy.
Then, once its work is complete, it quietly detaches.
Spend a few moments looking at it.
Many families are amazed by its beauty and complexity. Some choose to photograph it, create placenta prints, plant a tree above it or honour it through cultural traditions.
Whatever you choose, it deserves recognition.
- Enjoy a Cup of Tea and a Slice of Toast
Birth is hard work.
You’ve earned a moment to breathe.
Warm tea, toast, nourishing food and gentle conversation may sound wonderfully ordinary, but they remind us that birth is not an emergency to recover from it is a profound life event worthy of celebration.
Sometimes the simplest comforts become the most memorable.
- Capture the Moment
Before reaching for the scissors, reach for the camera.
Take photographs of those first cuddles.
Capture your baby’s tiny hands.
Photograph the family meeting one another for the first time.
These images often become treasured memories that tell the true story of birth not one of urgency, but of connection, patience and love.
Social media can wait.
These first moments belong to your family.
A Different Way of Thinking About Birth
Perhaps the greatest gift we can give newborn babies is time.
Time to breathe.
Time to receive every drop of blood nature intended.
Time to adapt gently to life outside the womb.
Time for families to simply be together before the world begins making demands.
Optimal cord clamping is not about delaying care.
It is about respecting physiology.
It is about recognising that birth is a carefully orchestrated biological process that has unfolded successfully for countless generations.
Sometimes the best thing we can do is not another intervention.
Sometimes the greatest act of care is simply allowing nature to finish what it has already begun.
Birth is a biological masterpiece that deserves your participation, not just your presence. Learn how to advocate for your baby’s best start in my evidence based prenatal classes. Join Our Community & Courses Here
