# Childbirth question: I really don't want to know this but..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2009, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289 "2009-08-22T05:40:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/21 "2009-08-23T16:10:22Z")
The claws of the [Florida stone crab](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_stone_crab) are harvested for eating and the crabs grow new ones. Talking about afterbirth. I’ve never seen a baby romcom a la [Nine Months](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Months) mention anything about the afterbirth. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/22 "2009-08-23T22:34:07Z")
What would happen if the cord is not cut? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/23 "2009-08-23T22:58:24Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > The placenta, (a.k.a. afterbirth) is a dark, cake-sized tissue that is stuck to the inside of the uterus, and acts as a nutrient-and-oxygen transfer station between the mom and the baby. Remember, the mom’s blood has all the food, all the oxygen, and likely a different blood type from the baby. The placenta allows moms blood and baby’s blood to circulate right beside each other, close enough to exchange oxygen and nutrients (mom to baby) and wastes and carbon dioxide (baby to mom) without mixing the two bloods and causing an immune response. The baby’s blood is circulated by the baby’s heart from the baby’s body, out to the placenta, where is gets all this good stuff, and back to the baby’s body. This connection between the baby and the placenta is the umbilical cord, which has an two arteries and one vein. When the baby is born, the placenta remains in position, as the baby needs oxygen throughout the delivery. After the baby is born, the placenta detaches from the uterine wall and is delivered just like the baby, with the other end of the cord attached. > > There are lots of cool physiological things that are involved- for instance, baby hemoglobin is better at taking up oxygen, so the baby’s blood pretty much rips the oxygen away from the mom’s blood. Nice description. It’s worth saying that there really isn’t a ‘mommy end’ as such, both ends of the cord are attached to the babies’ tissue. **Kanicbird** , I don’t know the answer to your question, but I do know dogs and cats chew off the cords as they deliver, so I suspect an infant without anybody do do that wouldn’t survive for any number of reasons. If there’s been an experiment to see what happens if a newborn mammal is kept warm, oxygenated and fed without cutting the cord I’ve never heard of it. I know I’ll burn in hell for this, but I’ve been known to refer to excesively new age, Woo Woo, ‘I want crystals representing the 4 corners of the universe in my room’ (usually first timers), as Cord Biters. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/24 "2009-08-23T23:25:37Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > **Kanicbird** , I don’t know the answer to your question, but I do know dogs and cats chew off the cords as they deliver, so I suspect an infant without anybody do do that wouldn’t survive for any number of reasons. If there’s been an experiment to see what happens if a newborn mammal is kept warm, oxygenated and fed without cutting the cord I’ve never heard of it. > I know I’ll burn in hell for this, but I’ve been known to refer to excesively new age, Woo Woo, ‘I want crystals representing the 4 corners of the universe in my room’ (usually first timers), as Cord Biters. [Lotus birth.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_birth) Eww. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/25 "2009-08-23T23:51:36Z")
Ignorance fought, thanks Renee. Actually, the reference to reduced infection risk makes a certain amount of sense. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/26 "2009-08-24T04:01:20Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Ok, it took me 4 tries to read that. But, I finally did it. Thank you. That was very informative and actually very interesting. And totally gross. Not for everyone. My wife, who has a graduate degree in reproductive physiology, asked to see hers and thought it very cool. She also spent a lot of time in grad school during hysterectomies on rats. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Seventh\_Deadly\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6bbea6/32.png) [@The\_Seventh\_Deadly\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Seventh_Deadly_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/27 "2009-08-24T04:12:32Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > [Lotus birth.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_birth) Eww. As a guy, I’m probably not allowed to say this, but… yuck. Why do they have to keep it in a bowl? Couldn’t they at least cover it with a tea towel? How about one of those little Tibetan prayer flags? That’s still be pretty hippie-ish, right? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/28 "2009-08-24T04:36:50Z")
This may be odd, but I have never birthed a baby and would LOVE to see a video like the one described above. The miracle of birth is facinating, if not a tad bit gross. Since I can’t go back to the 7th grade, any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/29 "2009-08-24T04:47:00Z")
From a strictly biological perspective, organism Fetus consists of two (or three) parts: Baby, suspended in amniotic sac, connected by umbilical cord to Placenta. The placenta is an exclusively fetal organ which has a rich supply of blood vessels which interface (but don’t connect directly) with the mother’s blood vessels lining the uterine wall. The umbilical cord is connected to the mother only in the sense that its distal terminus (from the fetus) is on the placenta, which is firmly attached to the interior wall of the mother’s uterus through pregnancy; it doesn’t directly connect to her at all. ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/30 "2009-08-24T04:47:59Z")
**Ruby** , I’m not sure if this is the same video I watched in high school (which, if I recall, was called _The Miracle of Life_), but it seems to have the same elements, anyway. And the end is really gross. [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/program.html](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/program.html) ---
**Author:** ![StaudtCJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@StaudtCJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StaudtCJ)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/31 "2009-08-24T04:56:52Z")
Youtube. A good one is [this one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fwWdVda8sg&feature=related) There are a lot of youtube birth videos, and I also recommend that you check out pregnancy/baby internet sites, as they have these sorts of videos, and more, available as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jerseyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Jerseyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerseyman)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/32 "2009-08-24T05:06:56Z")
I can see the practical value of _Lotus Birth_ in traditional unhygienic conditions when infection to mother or baby was the greatest birth killer. Te umbilicus will shrivel up in its own good time anyway, though most animals bite through it and even herbivores usually eat the placenta. Sounds gross to us, but so do a lot of things that were commonplace even 100 years ago or less and in some parts of the world maybe still are. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/33 "2009-08-24T14:59:11Z")
There are advantages to eating the placenta in the wild. First, the hormones in the placenta stimulate milk production. Second, you need to clean up after yourself so that predators don’t smell all that blood and try to get a meal out of you and your young. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/34 "2009-08-24T15:11:26Z")
Aargh. I had never heard of Lotus Birth. I learned something new today. Thanks. I guess. OP, I am with you…it’s a weird thought, to think of a baby coming out of oneself. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/35 "2009-08-24T17:08:15Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > There are advantages to eating the placenta in the wild. > > First, the hormones in the placenta stimulate milk production. The hormones also stimulate the uterus to contract, stemming post-partum hemorrhage. Eating placenta has saved many mothers’ lives. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/36 "2009-08-24T17:15:11Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > Eating placenta has saved many mothers’ lives. I try not to go down this route, but this really needs a citation. I would love to know where this information is backed up. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/37 "2009-08-24T18:31:19Z")
> [@Nunavut\_Boy](#): > > Actually, a lot of times the Dr. has to stick his or her hand up there and pull whatever part that didn’t come out, out. They also check to see that the placenta is intact. Ideally, it will come out in one piece. If it has any tears or missing pieces, then that means there may be tears in the uterus or pieces still attached. Either condition is very bad for the mother. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/38 "2009-08-24T21:15:03Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > They also check to see that the placenta is intact. Ideally, it will come out in one piece. If it has any tears or missing pieces, then that means there may be tears in the uterus or pieces still attached. Either condition is very bad for the mother. That would qualify as [S.U.I.T.](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=S.U.I.T.), I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/39 "2009-08-25T01:00:33Z")
> [@Nunavut\_Boy](#): > > Actually, a lot of times the Dr. has to stick his or her hand up there and pull whatever part that didn’t come out, out. They came at me with a big needle - trying to jab me in the thigh - some shot to deliver the afterbirth quickly. Despite being in the euphoria of having just given birth - NOBODY comes at me with sharp objects so I grabbed the nurses wrist and twisted. Ooops! Poor nurse and poor me - kind of killed the moment. They had earlier explained that this was normal procedure but I’d forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289/40 "2009-08-25T04:00:42Z")
> [@Foldup\_Rabbit](#): > > **Ruby** , I’m not sure if this is the same video I watched in high school (which, if I recall, was called _The Miracle of Life_), but it seems to have the same elements, anyway. And the end is really gross. > > [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/program.html](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/program.html) > [@StaudtCJ](#): > > Youtube. A good one is [this one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fwWdVda8sg&feature=related) There are a lot of youtube birth videos, and I also recommend that you check out pregnancy/baby internet sites, as they have these sorts of videos, and more, available as well. I only have one thing to say. Wow. I’m almost 50 years old and have never seen anything like that. Of course I knew the mechanics but actually seeing it was amazing. Thanks for the links! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childbirth-question-i-really-dont-want-to-know-this-but/507289.md?page=3)