Inside the womb of a pregnant woman or animal a placenta is formed, through which the unborn baby is nourished. The baby is connected to the placenta by the umbilical cord, which is joined to the unborn child at the navel.
The umbilical cord is the baby’s lifeline. Everything the child needs to survive will pass through it- air, blood and nourishment. At most it is no more than an inch wide and, perhaps, only a foot long.
Once the baby is born the placenta, which serves a purpose only during the pregnancy, will be discarded.
The umbilical cord will be cut with scissors a few inches away from the newborn baby’s stomach. This is quite painless because the umbilical cord has no nerves. The baby will now breathe on its own.
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