>>10481920>a common mistakeIt is not a mistake.
I will never forget when my Daughter born. Not just because I got to witness a live birth in person, which was quite something. And because my daughter came into this world. Of course. But I’ll never forget the very old and strange group of people that came SPECIFICALLY when it was time to cut the cord. My young black woman doctor and these people were all ECSTATIC. They were talking of things like “ohhhh, wow this is a big placenta here”. One of the older woman commented “you just be sure to get my sufficient piece!” And an older man said “There’s enough for everybody”.
I hardly got to see the placenta. It was weird, I wanted to look at it as much as possible. As it’s basically an organ outside of the body. But they gathered around it, and I was given my daughter seconds after birth (I am the first person/thing she has ever looked at in her life. It was magical in of itself. But anyways)
I remember shortly BEFORE it was time to cut the cord, I said VERY LOUD. AND VERY FIRMLY. “You will NOT cut the cord. I want as much blood to flow in as possible before the placenta is detached”. I remember the look some of them had, almost of anger and a mixture of disgust. NOBODY SAID ANYTHING. Nobody commented, I received NO ANSWER. My young female doctor brushed it off with small talk to my wife (who was in pain obviously). After the birth, I was handed my daughter. And I honestly believe it was a sort of distraction. No more than a couple seconds after her birth, the doctor said “Okay, come cut the cord”
Angry that my request was clearly ignored, I cut the cord anyway. Because it’s my daughter, I shall be the one to cut it. That placenta vanished. And so did the people. While I was staring my baby in the eyes, they, and the doctor all left. No noise to alert their departure.
