Daniela Knaan
UX/UI Designer at - AdobeFirst thoughts
When I had my kids, I was not aware of the fact that delayed cord clamping has many benefits for our baby! I have to admit that…
I don`t even know what the hospital policies were regarding this topic, and if you ask me how long it took until the cord was clamped, I would not know to answer. Within that high that you feel after birth, I was completely absorbed with my baby. Did not notice anything else around me.
Not that anybody asked…
And here is what makes me kind of angry with the system.
Delayed cord clamping and skin-to-skin care for example are known to birth professionals. Why not ask the birthing person about their preferences? Why not explain briefly and give the chance to make an informed choice?
I am sure many women like me would like to know and consider their options!
What does our placenta do?
As long as our baby is inside our body, they are totally dependent on our body and especially, the placenta.
The placenta passes all the nutrients our baby needs through the umbilical cord. Oxygen for our baby is transported by the red blood cells through the umbilical cord, and sugars are stored for the baby to provide extra energy.
The other way around, all our baby`s waste products, like for example carbon dioxide is sent back and absorbed by the placenta.
What exactly is delayed cord clamping
Delayed cord clamping is the practice where the cord is not clamped until some time after the birth, which is anywhere between 30 seconds and one and a half minutes until the cord stops pulsing.
At birth, up to 30% of our baby’s blood is outside their body- in the placenta. Usually, after the baby is born, the cord starts to pulse, pushing the fresh, oxygenated blood full of nutrients back into the baby`s body.
If we clamp the cord immediately, we prevent all that blood from entering our baby`s body. Unbelievable, isn’t it?
How long should cord clamping be delayed?
Anywhere from one minute to until the cord stops pulsing is beneficial for the baby! Many hospitals in the USA have adopted a policy of cord clamping after one minute. Home birth midwives may advise clamping only after the cord stops pulsing to ensure that the baby gets all the blood…
Lotus Birth
Lotus birth is the kind of birth where the cord is not clamped at all but separates on its own. This can take several days, and the baby keeps attached to the placenta all that time.
This kind of birth is practiced in some cultures, but there is no evidence-based information that indicates any further benefits to mother and baby- instead, the risk for infection may increase!
What are the benefits?
As I mentioned, at the moment of birth, about one-third of our baby`s blood is outside their body, traveling to the placenta to gather nutrients and oxygen.
Delaying the clamp can increase the baby`s RBC by up to 60% and the baby`s blood volume by up to 30%!
The transfer from inside our body to the outside world is made easier for the baby, due to stabilized oxygen levels from the placenta.
Certain studies showed increased brain development in babies whose cord was clamped later, due to decreased iron deficiency anemia. In other words, a lack of iron can cause a loss of intelligence, and delayed cord clamping could solve that exact problem!
According to Alan Green, a baby would have enough iron stored to get them through one whole year of life, so no iron supplements would be needed at all!
Further, umbilical cord blood carries white blood cells which contain antibodies, and stem cells, which contribute to protection from infection as well as chronic and dangerous diseases later in life!
Preterm babies and delayed cord clamping
Because of the large amounts of additional oxygen, this practice showed huge benefits to preterm babies. The first minute of life, the “golden minute” is crucial to the survival of any baby, and despite the thought that preemies need immediate medical attention, most babies with delayed cord clamping start to breathe on their own after one minute– according to Texas Children`s Hospital.
Amazing, isn`t it? The transition was also found to be much less traumatic!
Are there risks?
The risks of delayed cord clamping, according to research, are outweighed by the benefits! There are certain conditions (postpartum hemorrhage, respiratory stress) that were earlier believed to happen more to babies who had their cords clamped late. But evidence showed no difference in the likeliness of those, whether the cord was clamped early or late.
Jaundice
Most probably you know what jaundice is.. It is a normal condition in newborns that leads to a slightly yellowish appearance. In most cases, jaundice goes away after a few days and is no cause for worry.
Now, what causes jaundice, is large amounts of a substance called bilirubin. Bilirubin is a byproduct of breaking down red blood cells. Our baby gets all their oxygen through the placenta by red blood cells that carry oxygen. As soon as the baby starts breathing on their own, their body starts to break down those red blood cells as they are no longer needed. That is how bilirubin appears and causes normal levels of jaundice.
Logically, if our baby receives more red blood cells, they also have to break down larger amounts of them, which causes larger amounts of bilirubin, hence increased risk for jaundice.
But normally, when a baby is breastfed on demand, and no supplement through formula or glucose water is given, bowel movement will be promoted.
In other words, your baby will poop a lot and the bilirubin will be washed out jaundice will disappear in most cases without ever getting too dangerous levels!
What about banking umbilical cord blood
In the last years, many were talking about banking the umbilical blood, in order to preserve valuable stem cells. If you decide to do that, there are new techniques available that make it possible to delay cord clamping AND to collect blood for banking.
It is also good to know that especially in preterm babies, the benefits of delaying cord clamping are much bigger than the possible benefits of your banked blood.
90 seconds to change the world…
Alan Greene presents in his wonderful speech, the immense impact of delayed cord clamping.
He speaks of the major problems of iron deficiency anemia in the first month, and lack of oxygen in the first hours of a baby`s life…
Conclusion
Knowing the immense impacts delayed cord clamping has on our baby, it seems largely unlogical that hospitals still have different policies.
In most cases, we are not even asked if we would like to know our options! They just cut off the source of oxygen, iron, antibodies, and stem cells and deny our baby access to all of those life-changing treasures!
What would it be like for you if you could make an informed choice now, and ask for delayed cord clamping after your baby`s birth?
Knowledge is power, and in this case, knowing that the benefits hugely outweigh the risks, you have the power to give your baby the best start in life!
References
https://women.texaschildrens.org/blog/heres-why-delayed-cord-clamping-new-normal
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/114/1/297
