Contractions usually come in waves of three or five and then a resting period before they start again. If you don't feel that her contractions are strong enough try barely inserting your fingertip (no nails) and tickling the top of her vagina (called feathering) this will strengthen the contractions.
Do you have a pair of hemostats - dental floss is really hard to use, everything is so slippery. There is no rush in tying off the cord (my daughter just had a baby and did what they call a lotus birth where you leave the placenta attached and let it fall off naturally, gross, but no problems). Anyway, back on subject. Clean the airway with a bulb syringe before even worrying about the cord - dont place the baby's lungs below the head until you do this and breathing is not gurgly sounding. You can just pinch the cord about an inch for a minute or two, then cut with dull scissors, not sharp, it's actually better to tear it. My moms actually do all of this on their own, but you do risk an over eager Mom chewing it too close. |