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Making a Keepsake Umbilical Cord

Unique Ways to Preserve Infant Umbilicus

Sep 16, 2009 Mary Earhart

The umbilical cord connects mother and child until birth. The moment it is severed a new relationship begins. Some parents want a keepsake of that earlier connection.

Childbirth is intense, and it seems that every moment is impressed on the mind of the woman going through it, though pain is quickly forgotten. Babies grow and change, but the umbilical cord that provided oxygen and nutrients from a mother's body can provide a keepsake of that intimate time.

Cultural Practices Involve Cords

According to Diane Perry, SNM, (Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 1982), in many Native American tribes a piece of umbilical cord was dried following the birth of a baby and kept in a medicine bag, which was either attached to the cradle board or worn around the mother's neck. The dried cord was believed to protect the child for life, and to symbolize respect for the infant's connection to its mother as well as a larger connection to Mother Earth.

In his book The Golden Bough, A Study in Magic and Religion (1998), Sir James Frazer tells of African cultures in which the umbilical cord of a woman's first child is used as a tool of divination. Midwives "read" the cord for clues to the mother's future fertility.

In Japan, in a ritual known as Hesono O, a dried piece of umbilical cord is placed in a special wooden box made for that purpose. The ritual is believed to ensure a strong mother-child relationship.

Modern Cord Keepsakes

Today, most babies come home from the hospital with a tiny stump of cord that must be dabbed daily with alcohol or peroxide. Within ten days, the cord separates and the scar closes to become the baby's belly button. The cord may bleed or become goopy as it separates, and often gets lost in receiving blankets or clothing. But if saved, it can be wiped clean with cottonballs soaked in alcohol and left outside in a clean saucer covered with cheesecloth or on a well-ventilated shelf to finish drying. Children and pets must be kept away. The cord fragment will be completely dry in three to six days, depending on climate.

The same cleaning and drying procedure applies for longer lengths of cord. The whole umbilical cord can be cut from the placenta and arranged on a paper plate in a spiral, heart, or star shape and allowed to harden. Once the cord is completely dry there is no danger of microorganisms; the keepsake can be safely handled by children or adults.

Storage of Umbilical Cord Keepsakes

Dried umbilical cords will keep indefinitely. They can be sealed in a resealable sandwich bag and attached to the inside of a baby book, or wrapped in natural cloth and tied with ribbon. A special wooden keepsake box or amulet bag is another option related to cultural traditions. It is also perfectly fine to display a longer cord, which is less likely to get lost, out in the open with shells, minerals, artifacts, or other meaningful items.

The copyright of the article Making a Keepsake Umbilical Cord in Pregnancy & Childbirth is owned by Mary Earhart. Permission to republish Making a Keepsake Umbilical Cord in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Umbilical Cord