An Excellent Video discussing Cord Clamping

“Another thing very injurious to the child, is the tying and cutting of the navel string too soon; which should always be left till the child has not only repeatedly breathed but till all pulsation in the cord ceases. As otherwise the child is much weaker than it ought to be, a portion of the blood being left in the placenta, which ought to have been in the child.”
Erasmus Darwin, Zoonomia, 1801

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQqLnwGv0w0

Info on research about delayed cord clamping to let the baby get the full blood volume intended.

*A thought I have had about cord blood banking.
I think it is a good idea, especially if you already have a family history of certain disease and illness. However, I personally believe that God had/s a design, and if the baby was supposed to be cut off from that blood volume, (up to a cup?) and oxygen it provides for those first few minutes after birth, then the cord would automatically cut free on it's own, and the cord would not continue to pulse and give aditional blood through the placenta to the baby at birth... Wendy Robertson *

The baby is still receiving oxygented blood through the placenta while the cord is still pulsing right after birth. If we leave this alone, the baby doesn't have the NEED to imediately take a breath. When the cord is imediately cut, in modern medical practice, the baby frequently requires additional oxygen as that natural source of oxygenated blood has litterally been cut off, too soon.

The umbilical cord if left alone ceases to pulse with the blood from the placenta. It will physiologically clamp itself off, by filling with Wharton's Jelly. Soon after the placenta will naturally release, and be delivered. What an incredible design God has in place to ensure the survival of the newly born infant.

http://www.cordclamp.com/