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October 15th, 2004

Keep the umbilical cord stump

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umbilical.jpgIt look gross to some people. Some think it is plain silly to keep the dried umbilical cord stump, but that was the life line that connected the baby to me when she was still swimming inside me. Maybe it is a traditional practice, I notice that many mothers here keep their child’s umbilical cord stump.

I still have mine kept in a plastic jewelery box (the very traditional kind) at my father’s place. My mom used to say that keeping the children’s cord stump will ensure them to excel in studies, ie : intelligent! But according to my mother-in-law, the practice is slightly different. She told me to sew a little red triangle pouch, put the stump inside, and pin it to the baby’’s clothes. Suppose to bless the child, keep her healthy, protect her from harm. I thought keeping it in a little glass bottle, complete with a pretty golden ribbon is a more attractive idea, and provides more viewing pleasure. So here it is, that little stump finally settle itself in its new found bottle home, cushioned by cotton after 8 months of pathetic life in a dirty little plastic ziploc bag.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 15th, 2004 at 11:28 pm and is filed under old wives wisdom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Keep the umbilical cord stump”

  1. dory Says:
    October 16th, 2004 at 10:57 pm

    I like your bottle very much. I think it’s a wonderful way to keep the cord stump. :) May I know where you got the bottle? I am currently keeping my cord stump wrapped in tissue paper and stuffed away in a plastic box.

  2. Phoebe Says:
    October 17th, 2004 at 12:47 am

    Hmmm… looks like we all /still/ do that eh? I think it is a significant part of motherhood. It was the channel between the baby and us and now, an invaluable keepsake. Troy’s mum kept his circumcision ring even to this date! lol. Silly things mothers do :P

    dory, you would probably be able to get those nice bottles from gift shops. I saw some of such bottles, even test tube sizes at Plaza Singapura a few days ago.

  3. hait Says:
    October 17th, 2004 at 9:45 am

    So, all of us keep the stump?! haha

    btw, I bought the bottle from popular bookshop, but their varieties are limited. like what phoebe said, try those gift shops. I saw more shapes and sizes in gift lands and shops like that, esp those that students like to patronise and buy strips of paper to make stars for their love ones.

  4. dory Says:
    October 17th, 2004 at 11:22 pm

    Hey gals, thanks for all your inputs. I will scout around the shops when I get a chance. :)

  5. Asia Says:
    December 3rd, 2004 at 2:23 am

    TrackBack from Asia:

    Huileng posted a piece describing the common practice of preserving your child’s umbilical cord for posterity. This isn’t something I’ve heard of in Western tradition. There’s also a Korean company that will gold-plate your child’s umbilical cor……

  6. Daddy Types Says:
    December 3rd, 2004 at 11:42 pm

    TrackBack from Daddy Types:

    Umbilical cord blood storage is a relatively new advancement (more about that later), but many Asian cultures have a tradition of keeping the stump of a baby’s umbilical cord. According to new mom Huileng’s blog, grandparents in Singapore differ on both the reasons for keeping the thing (smarts vs protection and health) and the method of storing it (a little red pouch vs. that ancient Chinese secret, a ziploc bag). While Singaporeans wait around for someone to tell them what to do, Korean parents are being bombarded with freewheeling capitalist solutions. Companies now offer to gold-plate and frame the stump……

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