Check into it before you make your final decision. As I wrote, I remember hearing that it is possible to get a cord blood sample and wait on clamping the cord, but I could be wrong on that.

-- Henci

thanks much for the info.....

we aren't planning on banking bc its too expensive but i was looking into whether or not our hospital collects to donate for research and anyone who might need it etc.....but if donating means i can't wait till cord stops pulsating to clamp/cut i wasn't going to....now deff not....

It takes, maybe, 2-3 minutes for the cord to stop pulsing. I have heard that it is still possible to collect cord blood, but I am not sure. Consider this, though, if it isn't possible: childbirth is magnificently designed to give your baby everything your baby needs to be healthy. Your baby is supposed to get the blood that is in the placenta, which means it has a purpose. Besides the blood volume issue, I would bet there is a good reason why cord blood is so rich in stem cells. Does it make sense to deprive your baby of  what Mother Nature intended your baby to have at birth because of the minute chance that your child will develop an illness for which that blood might possibly prove helpful in the hypothetical future?

-- Henci

how long does it take for the cord to stop pulsating?  if you choose to wait to clamp/cut, is donating cord blood not an option then?    and how long does the placenta take to deliver on its own? or with pit after delivery?

thanks much for all the help!!!

Sounds like you have found yourself a doctor whose practice style is in line with what you want.  If she is part of a group, though, you might want to find out how likely she is to be at your birth. One of the problems I've seen is that not infrequently, doctors in the same group have wildly differing approaches. If there is a good chance you might get someone other than her, you'll have to ask your questions of them too. (I know; a pregnant woman's work is never done.  )  

As for Pitocin after the birth, my take on the research is that the benefits of routine administration are overrated, and it can always be given if a woman is bleeding too heavily. On the other hand, it doesn't seem to have much in the way of ill effects other than, maybe, more cramping than you would otherwise experience. Unless you have strong objections, this isn't where I would draw a line in the sand.

Much more important is that you do not want the umbilical cord cut before it stops pulsing. Doing so deprives the baby of a substantial proportion of its blood supply. The placenta is also more likely to come away easily and in a shorter time when the blood in it has been allowed to drain back into the baby's circulation. You also do not want umbilical cord traction, that is, the birth attendant pulls on the umbilical cord to deliver the placenta. (Not to be confused with giving the cord a gentle tug to see if the placenta has detached.) The medical literature is clear on the lack of benefits for these and the potential harms.

About vitamin K, I haven't kept up with that controversy. The issue here is that vitamin K helps with clotting. It is made by helpful bacteria in the gut, but a newborn doesn't yet have its gut colonized. The problem with giving it to the mother is that her milk won't come in for a couple of days. What can be done is to give it orally to the baby, although I don't know how much research there is on this. One concern with oral vitamin K is What if the baby spits it back? Then you don't know how much the baby got. With my last one, now age 23, I did feel strongly about not giving the baby an injection shortly after birth. After talking it over with my doctor, we decided to give her double the dose that would be normally be injected. We put it into a medicine syringe, and once she was nursing, I inserted the tip of the syringe into the corner of her mouth, delivered the dose, and she sucked it down along with the colostrum without even noticing.  

As for pain meds, they all have side effects and they all--epidural medications too--get to the baby. Childbirth Connection has an excellent section on coping with labor pain.

-- Henci