Delayed Cord clamping has become increasingly more popular in the US today.
Studies have shown that a delay of as little as thirty seconds between delivery and cord clamping can result in 20-40 ml*kg-1 of blood entering the fetus from the placenta. Umbilical cord blood is a baby’s life blood until birth. It contains many important cells: like stem cells, red blood cells and white blood cells (including cancer-fighting T-cells) to help fight disease and infection.
Studies like this one published in 1995 have shown that infants who have delayed cord clamping end up with 32% more blood volume than infants who have immediate cord clamping – without any increased risk of problems.
The main benefits of delayed cord clamping are:
- Increased levels of iron
- Lower risk of anaemia
- Fewer transfusions
- Fewer incidences of intraventricular haemorrhage.
A two-minute delay in cord clamping increased the child’s iron reserve by 27-47 mg of iron, which is equivalent to 1-2 months of an infant’s iron requirements. This could help to prevent iron deficiency from developing before 6 months of age.
Immediate cord clamping clearly reduces the amount of blood in the infant in terms of volume, blood cells, and iron content. It would seem that premature clamping removes blood from the infant, that the infant was “destined” to receive absent the intervention of immediate cord clamping.
Let the wonderful Penny Simkin explain it to you:
For more information:
http://academicobgyn.com/2009/12/03/delayed-cord-clamping-should-be-standard-practice-in-obstetrics/
http://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/cord-clamping-delaying-cord-clamping#.Uri-G_1SFol
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