Is it Safe to Delay Cord Clamping?
There has been a conflict of ideas for a long time on the appropriate time to clamp the umbilical cord after the delivery of a baby. The umbilical cord was clamped in the "early" days within the first minute after the baby's birth, ideally between 15 to 30 seconds. There is mounting evidence that the baby benefits from delaying cord clamping until they are born or until the cord stops beating.
Delaying cord clamping can enhance the baby's blood iron levels for up to six months after birth, preventing anaemia. Later in life, this may result in nervous system issues and learning disabilities.
This is also seen as excellent practice in low-resource areas where newborns do not have convenient or sufficient access to diets high in iron. Children in these areas are more likely to get anaemia, characterised by abnormally low haemoglobin levels in the blood.
Benefits Of Delayed Cord Clamping
For most deliveries, delaying cord clamping has become a standard procedure in the healthcare system. The following are the benefits of delayed cord clamping:
Reduces the possibility of anaemia
Delaying cord clamping increases the baby's blood volume and iron reserves in full-term infants. This additional iron helps prevent anaemia because iron does not transfer well into breast milk. Low red blood cell volume is a defining feature of anaemia. Better development as the baby may result from the increased red blood cell count.
It can be performed along with a C-section
Cord clamping can occur after the placenta has been removed from the mother's uterus; postponing cord clamping after a surgical delivery carries no additional risk to the mother or child.
The method is extremely secure
For healthy moms and babies, there are very few complications related to delaying cord clamping. The major danger of delaying cord clamping is that the extra blood could make you ill with jaundice. Jaundice is a problem that can be identified and is monitored in infants. Placing the infant under a light that aids in reducing excessive bilirubin in the blood is one method of treating jaundice.
For premature infants, the advantages are considerably larger
A boost of pure blood from the umbilical cord can help reduce the risk of significant health problems in premature babies. It has been demonstrated that delaying cord clamping in preterm infants lowers the need for blood transfusions and the risk of intraventricular haemorrhage (a bleed in the baby's brain that may result in lifelong neurologic issues) and necrotising enterocolitis. These two serious complications can affect the baby's intestines).
Boosts the oxygenation
The newborn has access to more oxygenated blood from the placenta during the transition period; keeping a premature baby linked to the placenta aids in stabilising them. Extremely preterm newborns, particularly those under 31 weeks, will benefit the most from this.
When To Prevent Delayed Cord Clamping?
There are some situations in which delayed cord clamping should be avoided. Delayed cord clamping is not advised in cases where the baby needs immediate medical attention after birth, such as in cases where the mother has an irregular placenta, is bleeding, or is delivering a baby. Medical professionals will swiftly clamp the cord to concentrate on the mother and child's health in these situations.
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