In the movies, baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut, and baby is handed to the mother who, despite having just given birth, looks picture perfect. But, that’s not the reality...
Mom’s pristine post-partum hair and freshly applied lipstick isn’t the only thing wrong with this scene: a growing volume of evidence shows that waiting for a bit before clamping the cord is much better for baby. The evidence is so strong that even the World Health Organisation (WHO) now recommends not clamping the cord earlier than one minute after birth, for improved maternal and infant health and nutrition outcomes, while many experts worldwide recommend waiting up to three minutes for the blood to stop pulsating into the cord.
“Delayed cord clamping makes sense when you consider 75 percent of blood available for placenta-to-foetus transfer happens in the first one minute after birth,” says obstetrician/gynaecologist and Your Pregnancy expert Dr Bronwyn Moore.
Around one third of your baby’s blood volume resides in the placenta at birth, so it’s good to let as much of this flow through the umbilical cord to baby. It’s not any old blood either; this foetal blood is rich in iron and stem cells. It’s this combination of plenty of good quality blood that gives baby an extra boost at birth.
IRON BOOST
This story is from the December 2016/January 2017 edition of Your Pregnancy.
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This story is from the December 2016/January 2017 edition of Your Pregnancy.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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