Many in Tamil Nadu are enraged about popular food vlogger Mohamad Irfan cutting the umbilical cord of his baby girl under the supervision of the obstetrician who delivered the child. While several people in the state are furious, calling it ‘improper’, even ‘immoral’ behaviour, cord clamping–as the procedure of cutting the umbilical cord is known–by parents is neither a new practice nor illegal. The concerns surrounding this row merit a more nuanced approach, but Ma Subramanian, state Minister for Health and Family Welfare, dramatically declared at a press meet that Irfan will not “be spared even if he apologises”.
The Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) confirmed to TNM that cord-clamping by parents under medical supervision is not illegal in India as many claim. It is also not unusual for fathers to request to cut the umbilical cord after a vaginal birth. Studies have shown that such a practice may help strengthen the father-child bond in the subsequent months, compared to those who do not get involved in the birthing process. Doctors who spoke to TNM also agreed that the practice is beneficial.
In Irfan’s case, the issue does not seem to only be about the legality or moral stigma surrounding cord clamping. Public anger against Irfan also owes a lot to the controversies he has raked up in the past. A former star on the Tamil reality show Cooku With Comali, the food vlogger runs YouTube and Instagram pages called Irfan’s View. Earlier this year, he invited widespread criticism after he held a ‘gender-reveal’ party for the child before her birth. Determining the sex of a foetus is banned in India under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act. While Irfan and his wife Asifa Nazir, did the sex-determination test in Dubai, where there is no such law, his reels and public celebration back in India irked many.
In the latest controversy about the cord clamping, Irfan’s seemingly hasty approach to making it fodder for his social media capital is what raises questions in the minds of many.
Senior obstetrician Dr Uma Ram told TNM that several fathers ask to be in the delivery room for the cord clamping, to experience the birth of their child more intimately. She also said that maintaining sterility is important. “Doctors wait for the cord’s pulsation to stop before cutting it. This is called delayed cord clamping and is done after skin-to-skin contact with the mother. When fathers ask to be in the delivery room and to clamp the cord, what is essential is that sterility has to be maintained to prevent infection. As long as the necessary precautions such as scrubbing and gloving have been undertaken, there is nothing wrong with the practice,” she added.
Dr Uma also pointed out that cord-clamping by a parent is usually not encouraged after a caesarean birth. “Doctors scrub for surgery and a much higher degree of sterility has to be maintained, as the risk of infection is higher. If fathers want to be present in the operation theatre, they must be scrubbed as well and the main objective of their presence is only to provide emotional support to the mother through surgery,” she said.
In the now-deleted video, Irfan mentioned that his wife had a caesarean birth. Another video that is still up on YouTube and Instagram also shows Asifa being wheeled into the theatre. A netizen took to the social media platform X and alleged that the Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Sholinganallur, where Irfan’s daughter was born, did not allow her husband to be with her for either of her deliveries. The first time, even though it was a vaginal delivery, they cited COVID-19 protocols, she wrote. The second time, when she had to go in for a caesarean, the surgery was cited as the reason for preventing her husband from accompanying her, the woman further alleged.
Dr Charmila Ayavoo, Vice President of FOGSI, also echoed similar concerns. “Delayed cord-clamping during a caesarean is professionally done. The main cause for worry in Irfan’s case is that while the focus was on the baby and handing over the scissors and other such activities, the risk of uterine bleeding in the mother, in the case of caesarean surgery, could have increased. The uterus is cut open during surgery, and the walls of the uterus have to be closed up again. Further, I am also worried about the asepsis of the surgery field. Judging by the videos, Irfan does not appear to be properly attired for the surgical field. The standard attire is not the same as what can be worn during a vaginal birth, where sterility is not compromised either.” Asepsis, as Science Direct explains, is “the condition in which no living disease-causing microorganisms are present.”
Dr Charmila added that the failure to maintain this can cause short and long-term morbidity in the mother if she contracts an infection. “A birth companion being with the mother is always welcome but a private event should not be commercialised,” she said.
This is also not the only controversy surrounding Irfan. In May 2023, his car, allegedly driven by a relative Mohammed Azaruddin, hit and killed a 55-year-old woman working as a security guard near Maraimalai Nagar in Chennai. Irfan was also in the car, but a case was registered only against the relative.
Now, the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services in Tamil Nadu, widely known as DMS, has announced that they will be sending a show-cause notice to Rainbow Children’s Hospital, demanding an explanation. Further, they have said that the hospital’s licence may be cancelled under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act. DMS has also said that a report regarding the doctor who oversaw the cord clamping will be sent to the Medical Council of India (MCI).