how an umbilical cord supplies nutrients to a baby through its abdomen and how this connection is severed the day of birth?
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The umbilical cord is connected to the placenta. The placenta is connected to the mothers circulatory system. The placenta leeches nutrients from the mother’s circulatory system (blood) and supplies these to the fetus via the umbilical cord. This blood goes in through the belly button of the baby, to the heart and the liver. This is useful because the baby can’t eat yet so it needs these nutrients to grow. As soon as its born, the connection is physically severed by the cutting of the cord. But if you don’t cut the cord, it falls off due to it being futile at this point, because the baby can eat and make its own oxygen. Hope that helped
IANAD.
At birth, it is clamped. Clamped in two places about an inch apart actually, allowing for a clean cut. The placenta goes one way, baby goes another. Baby goes home with the clamped nub.
Over a week or so, the nub atrophies. That is, the vessels from the liver and heart aren’t needed and close off without blood running through anymore, the skin around the unused vein and artery die, and scab/scar tissue forms. Sometimes it doesn’t heal well and doctors will help it scab and fall off with silver nitrate.
Meanwhile, the placental site within the uterus was a dinner-plate sized wound that heals over about 2-6 weeks. Mom will still bleed because the uterus doesn’t scab. The uterus should shrink over the course of weeks, helping the wound to close. Too much bleeding is bad, so mom should rest and try to heal, and contact doctors if bleeding is very heavy/there are large clots after a few days or if there is any sign of fever/infection.
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