Delayed cord clamping

While babies are in the womb, they are supplied oxygen-rich blood from the placenta through the umbilical cord. Their lungs are filled with fluid which keeps the blood vessels constricted, preventing blood from flowing into the lungs. During labor, the pressure of contractions and passing through the birth canal forces the fluid up and out of babies' lungs, so by the time they're born, the lungs are mostly clear of all fluid.

After birth, the baby's lungs fill with blood, and he/she starts breathing oxygen on its own. But there is still a blood supply making its way back to the baby through the umbilical cord. This is your baby's blood. As long as the cord is left to finish pulsing on its own, and not clamped or cut until afterward, your baby receives back 21% of its final blood volume. Three quarters of this transfusion occurs within the first minute after birth. The average length of cord clamping is 17 seconds.

This extra blood from delayed cord clamping increases a baby's iron, which is especially valuable if anemia is a concern.

This extra blood from delayed cord clamping increases a baby's iron, which is especially valuable if anemia is a concern. A study conducted in Sweden, and published in the British Medical Journal, found that babies whose cords were clamped at least three minutes after birth had higher iron levels at four months of age than babies whose cords were clamped immediately; these babies also had fewer cases of neonatal anemia. The authors of the study concluded that delayed cord clamping "should be considered as standard care for full-term deliveries after uncomplicated pregnancies."

A study was published in Midwifery Today E-News stating: "To study the effect of delayed cord clamping on infant iron status, 69 newborn infants were randomly assigned to three groups at the time of delivery: 1) cord clamping immediately after delivery; 2) clamping when the cord stopped pulsating, at around one minute after deliver with the infant placed at the level of the placenta; 3) clamping when the cord stopped pulsating, with the infant placed below the level of the placenta. Two months after delivery, infants in the groups with delayed cord clamping had significantly higher packed cell volume values and hemoglobin concentrations. Less infants were anemic: the percentage of infants with packed cell volume lower than 33% was 88% in group 1 compared with 42% in group 2 and 55% in group 3." (The Kangaroo, 2nd Quarter 1999, a supplement to Child Health Dialogue, Issue 15)

Obviously there are situations when the baby may require immediate care following birth, and delayed cord clamping is not an option. However, it is something worth considering if it's a possibility.

If you are interested in learning more about saving your baby's cord blood (which is full of stem cells that can help should your child get leukemia), check out Cord Blood Registry (click on the name).Saving cord blood requires clamping the cord soon after birth, so delayed cord clamping isn't an option. Look into your options and decide what is best for you and your baby.