# Unbilical cord question



## Galavanting Goat (Apr 27, 2010)

Before I forget to ask AGAIN lol,for those that are present at birthings, I was wondering....when a kid is born what do you do with the unbilical cord if it doesn't break naturally e.g. when being born, or when mum turns around to clean bub etc.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I have never had it not break naturally -- but if its to long I tie it off with floss and then cut it


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

I always let it break naturally, it happens within moments/minutes, then we spray a bit of iodine on the cord for infection prevention. So far, in four years & with 2 herds, I don't believe we've ever had to cut or tie off a cord.
Hope that helps some.... :wink:


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

It will break on its own, as soon as the baby is far enough out it breaks.

If it is long like almost touching the ground, I hold the baby against the belly, and use my thumb and index finger and shred it short. It really should never be cut (that is what my vet said), always shred it, then dip it in iodine. I put some in a old 35mm camera case, seal the case to the tummy, and put the iodine all around the cord area. If you do not have the strong iodine (VERY VERY hard to buy anymore) then I do the regular iodine for a couple days.

I use to tie it off with dental floss but I do not do it anymore. Why? I have no idea, I just have not done it for years.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

We had to cut a cord this year that didn't break and it was still full and he was completely born and breathing. The water broke before that kid was born and I guess that cord kept him alive. We tied it twice and cut it in between the ties. He is fine. That was the scariest kidding I have had so far.

Jan


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

sweetgoats said:


> It will break on its own, as soon as the baby is far enough out it breaks.
> 
> If it is long like almost touching the ground, I hold the baby against the belly, and use my thumb and index finger and shred it short. It really should never be cut (that is what my vet said), always shred it, then dip it in iodine. * I put some in a old 35mm camera case, seal the case to the tummy, and put the iodine all around the cord area.* If you do not have the strong iodine (VERY VERY hard to buy anymore) then I do the regular iodine for a couple days.
> 
> I use to tie it off with dental floss but I do not do it anymore. Why? I have no idea, I just have not done it for years.


You use the big camera case that holds the camera? I have found the little bottles with snap tops that hold diabetic test strips work great for this. You could probably get a couple dozen for free for the asking from freecycle or any diabetic neighbors/relatives.

Regular small bottles of Tincture of iodine can still be found at some of the OLD pharmacies. You might also look in the camping supply/survival section of larger stores as its also used for purification of water.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

I have had to cut the cord before several times. I use my finger nail up and down the cord to give it a rough cut so it dosen't bleed as much as a clean cut does. If it does bleed a lot then I use dental floss.


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## Galavanting Goat (Apr 27, 2010)

Thankyou everyone for your help, out of all our kiddings we've only ever had about 2 where the cord has broken naturally, by the time the babies hit the ground the cord is still long enough to still allow the mums to turn around and clean the bubs, one does unbilical cord was that long she was almost getting her back legs caught up in the thing while it was still attached to the bub.

So to get a clear understanding of severing the unbilical cord if need be should I:

wait until bub is breathing on its own first?
tie off the cord first before severing?

I have strong pump spray iodine on hand to use also. I keep meaning to ask this question before each kidding season but I never get around to it and somehow make it through but this time round I wanted to get it cleared up.
Thankyou again for your input everyone, it appreciated.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I've had to shred the cord on 1 kid before( scraping it with my short fingernails)...then I use a small baby food jar with iodine in it to dip and cover entire area of belly around the cord. I later had to use dental floss to tie it off because mom was way to attentive with her cleanup and really chewed it too short, so that he was bleeding.


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