For nearly ten months, your baby has been attached to you by the umbilical cord. That cord has been your baby's lifeline, pumping oxygen and nutrients in, and then processing waste products back out to your body to get rid of after birth. Its job is seemingly over. But wait—not so fast. There’s a reason to let it hang in there just a little bit longer.

Today we’re going to talk about why.

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Maybe you’ve got something on your mind that you really need help with, but you don’t know where to turn. So many of you feel rushed during those few brief moments you have with your provider. You’ve got a list of things you want to talk about, but in the moment, you forget—or worse, you convince yourself it was a dumb question and don’t ask.

I feel your pain, Mama.

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​You don’t have to worry about hospital policy or bias influencing your answers. You’ll get straightforward advice from a Christian midwife who’s been there. I don’t have many slots available, so grab one while you can. I’m here to help you have your birth the way God intended.

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Let’s think about God’s design for a moment.

When a baby is born, does the placenta immediately fall out right that instant? No. There’s a period of time where it stays attached before it detaches on its own. Does the umbilical cord detach at birth? No. It stays attached for a while.

If God needed that cord to be immediately clamped or cut, wouldn’t He have designed it that way? Of course He could have. But He didn’t. That means there’s a purpose behind that delay.

The umbilical cord is your baby’s lifeline. It runs from your baby’s tummy to the placenta, which is an organ that didn’t even exist before pregnancy. God created it to sustain life, filtering waste and delivering nutrition and oxygen throughout pregnancy.

After birth, that same cord still has a purpose. It’s plump, juicy, and full of blood that belongs to your baby. As long as the cord is pulsing, blood is still flowing—bringing oxygen, iron, and stem cells your baby needs.

​When we clamp the cord too early, we’re stopping that transfer. Studies show that early cord clamping can deprive a baby of up to half of its blood supply. Imagine how much harder it is for a newborn to adjust to life outside the womb without that full supply of oxygen-rich blood that God designed for it to receive.

So why do hospitals clamp and cut the cord so quickly?

Modern medicine began promoting something called active management of the third stage of labor—a set of steps meant to reduce bleeding after birth. It includes giving medication like Pitocin, massaging the uterus, clamping the cord right away, and even pulling on the cord to deliver the placenta faster.

The goal was to save time and prevent hemorrhage, but research shows this isn’t necessary in healthy, normal births. Instead, these interventions can cause more harm—like pieces of placenta being left behind, uterine inversion, or unnecessary blood loss.

​And all the while, that beautiful design God created is interrupted.

Optimal cord clamping allows your baby to receive everything God intended. That extra blood is rich in oxygen, stem cells, and nutrients—especially important for premature babies who need every bit of help to grow strong.

If a baby struggles to breathe at birth, leaving the cord attached can actually help, since the cord is still delivering oxygen. Resuscitation can be done right beside the mother, with the cord intact.

​This isn’t about convenience for the medical team. It’s about what’s best for the baby and honoring the Creator’s wisdom.

Include optimal cord clamping in your birth plan and talk to your provider early—ideally before you hire them. Ask what their normal practice is. Do they wait until the cord stops pulsing, or do they clamp it immediately?

If you’ve already chosen your provider, discuss it now rather than waiting until birth. The pulse in the cord is easy to feel. Once it stops, and the blood flow has ended, clamping and cutting is appropriate.

​It’s simple. It’s natural. And it’s exactly how God designed it.