I had my babies 42 and 40 years ago respectively. Childbirth was not as hi-tech as it is now and many babies were still born at home. I opted for a hospital birth for my first child and my mother insisted that I must not allow the mid-wife to cut the cord "too early" as she said "all the goodness that the baby needs is delivered down that tube a few minutes after the birth". So - even in those days, the women knew the importance of that placental outflow. Food for thought.