It was previously believed that the cord was just a tube, and that if it was not cut immediately after delivery, the baby could empty itself of its blood inside the placenta. Today it is already known that it is not quite like this: blood does not return through the umbilical cord, however, it is still routine in most Brazilian hospitals to cut the cord immediately after the baby’s departure from the womb. Recent studies recommend that the umbilical cord be cut only when it stops pulsating, which occurs a few minutes (on average 3 to 5) after the birth of the baby, and has a physiological purpose: to help you transition from umbilical breath to lung breath. As the baby was just born and is placed on top of his mother, his cord keeps throbbing, sending him enough blood and oxygen to keep him in good physical condition during the transition process that occurs in his little body: his lungs reabsorve all over the liquid that filled them and prepare to give their first air golfers, and their circulatory system gradually changes to include the work lungs in oxygenation, while excluding the umbilical cord from their original functions. This one then stops slowly pulsating until the transition is complete. During this process, which lasts minutes only, the baby receives up to 50 % more blood than he already had, plus an extra dose of iron that helps prevent problems like anemia and jaundice.