Where does the umbilical cord from the mother go after giving birth?

Many young women, especially those who give birth for the first time, are interested in the question of where the umbilical cord goes after delivery. Let's take a closer look: what is the umbilical cord for the baby in general, when it is formed and where does it go to the mother after birth?

What is the umbilical cord and what is it for?

This anatomical formation appears almost at the very beginning of pregnancy. By its anatomical structure, the umbilical cord is nothing but a part of the chorion and part of the fetal egg, from which the placenta first forms, from which the umbilical cord itself is already leaving. As a result, a single anatomical formation is formed, which in medicine was called the latter (placenta and umbilical cord). It is this education that plays a huge role in the process of pregnancy. Through the placenta, the baby receives various, necessary nutrients and trace elements, as well as metabolic products. In addition, it is through the utero-placental system that the process of hematopoiesis takes place in the fetus (oxygen enters the organs and tissues).

What happens to the umbilical cord after the birth?

Having told about what the latter is, let's try to figure out where the umbilical cord leaves the mother after the birth, and where it goes.

This anatomical education should normally leave the maternal organism almost immediately after the end of the birth process. As a rule, the separation takes after 1.5-2 hours. This happens as a result of a short-term struggle. In some cases, a manual separation of the offspring is resorted, if this does not occur during the above-mentioned time. In addition, the indication for such manipulation is severe blood loss (more than 300 ml).

After the departure of the afterbirth, obstetricians carefully examine the cavity of the uterus. This is necessary in order to exclude the possibility of the presence of residual tissues, which if not removed, after some time will lead to infection.

The period of departure of the afterbirth, immediately after birth, is considered the third period of labor. In duration - it is the shortest. However, it is on the way it passes, will determine the condition of the woman herself after childbirth. Also, this factor has a direct effect on the duration of the recovery period.

After the latter completely left, it is usually disposed of. However, in the West there is such a practice when, from the umbilical cord, at the woman's request, stem cells are extracted , which are frozen and stored in a so-called bank. They can be used later in the treatment of various kinds of diseases, like the woman herself, the child, and their loved ones. In CIS countries, this practice is only at the stage of origin.