If you are looking for information
on umbilical cord burning you have come to the right place. This
site is useful for birth practitioners as well as parents who are
interested in learning more about the practice of umbilical cord
burning; how to do it, what to expect, where to get supplies and
other frequently asked questions.
on umbilical cord burning you have come to the right place. This
site is useful for birth practitioners as well as parents who are
interested in learning more about the practice of umbilical cord
burning; how to do it, what to expect, where to get supplies and
other frequently asked questions.
Birth is a sacred and profound event in the life of a family. We plan our births down the most specific
details including the ambiance and whom we should have in attendance. An often overlooked part of
the birth is the 3rd phase; the time when the placenta is birth and then later, when the cord is severed.
This is a very important event in the life of a newborn; being separated from the source that has provided
all his nutrition for 10 lunar months -his internal mother, the placenta. This transition has often been
dismissed by families and care providers alike with a swift "snip" of the cord so the baby can now be
free of the cumbersome placental attachment.
Homebirth midwives are taught to leave the umbilical cord intact until it is finished pulsating; this is
standard practice in birth at home. Midwives have always known that it was beneficial to the baby to
get all of the blood the placenta has to offer. With this in mind, we delay severing the cord.
While in Aceh, Sumatra after the 2004 tsunami volunteering at a clinic run by Yaysan Bumi Sehat, I
was taught umbilical cord burning by Ibu Robin Lim. This method was being use in order to prevent
tetanus in the newborn, tetanus was rampant after the tsunami. The midwives in the surrounded area
had all been presented with “burn boxes” and taught how to burn the cord – it was saving lives. Not
only does burning the cord prevent newborn tetanus but it also prevents any infection of the umbilical
cord because it completely cauterizes the end.
In the Western world, newborn tetanus is almost unheard of. We have sterile scissors and clean
environments so umbilical infections are uncommon as well. So why burn the umbilical cord?
I was fascinated by the process of cord burning, and it is a process. I have found it preferable to
cutting because it is a more mindful act. Burning the cord takes time. Just as we did not rush the baby
or the placenta so too do we not rush the separation of the baby from the source that nurtured it on
the inside. The baby is usually very calm and alert during the process.
The umbilicus is the entry way to all abdominal organs. It is the core. In traditional Chinese medicine it
is a belief that the placenta holds the Ch'i (life force) of the baby and by heating the cord it sends that Ch’i
to the baby and he is therefore “warmed” by this energy. It is preferable they have this warmth or heat at birth.
Cord burning provides this warm energy. It will reduce the risk of bleeding and entry of infections. You are
warming digestion which will reduce the tendency for jaundice, besides just creating a strong baby which
means a good nurser.
I now burn all umbilical cords instead of cutting them. I usually do this just before I leave the home
postpartum. When I return for the 24-hour visit the cord is very dry and shriveled. By the 3rd day
postpartum it has usually fallen off.
The ritual of umbilical cord burning is being used by more and more midwives and families. Some of
families I serve get special candles specifically for the burning. Whatever is left of them after we
are done gets put away and is then used on the baby’s first birthday or during a naming ceremony.
There are endless possibilities to this ritual and each family can add their own elements to it as they
wish.
For more information, read on and feel free to contact us if you don’t find an answer to your question
on this site.
