Julie, An interesting reference to traditional birth attendant practices in Africa, Asia and Latin America re the umbilical cord can be found in Midwives Without Training by Yvonne Lefeber, a Dutch medical anthropologist (as far as I know). In Egypt (?post-Pharaohs), Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Irian Jaya, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea traditional midwives cut the cord after the placenta has birthed. In Jamaica and Mexico it is cut after it stops pulsating, in Guetemala and other parts of Latin America it is cut after the placenta births. Best wishes Liz.
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