>Yes.  You will find this info in many books on homebirthing.  They will, in
>the very least, recommend leaving the cord attached until the placenta is
>expelled, to continue to provide oxygen while the baby is taking over and
>using the lungs.  There are also some who believe in Lotus birth, which will
>keep the placenta and cord attached until the cord falls off.

I had a client who did leave the cord and placenta intact until the cord
fell off. When I heard that she was doing that, I thought that the placenta
would be "rank" by the week or two until the cord fell off. But the midwife
informed me that with goldenseal powder on the umbilicus, the cord would
fall off within 2-3 days. And it did.

It was a "bit" difficult getting the baby in position to feed with the cord
and placenta in the picture, but we just focused on side-lying. All was well.

There are a lot of ways of doing things, aren't there?

Pat Gima
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