Here’s Baby! When Should You Clamp the Cord?

When your baby is born, how long should doctors wait before clamping the umbilical cord? New attention has been drawn to this question since the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently said it’s best to wait at least 30 to 60 seconds before severing that physical bond.

The reason? So the newly emerged human can benefit from every drop of healthful elements inside the umbilical cord until the cord empties. Studies show that a short delay will do no permanent harm.

What Is the Umbilical Cord?

The umbilical cord is a long coiled tube that channels nutrients and other matter from mother to baby. The cord begins in the uterus and by the second trimester moves to the placenta, which is a temporary, spongy, disc-shaped organ that channels needed substances to the fetus. The umbilical cord is also the highway for removing waste away from the baby.

These elements reach the baby through the umbilical cord during pregnancy:

• Nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, glucose, and fatty and amino acids
• Oxygen
• Red blood cells
• Stem cells
• Hormones
• Antibodies
• Hydration

Umbilical cords are clamped then disconnected once the baby is born via a vaginal birth or Cesarean section. At that time, the baby’s organs take over. The doctor will cut the cord and leave the stump, which will fall off naturally and painlessly within three weeks. What we know as a belly button will remain.

More parents are asking to keep those superfoods, so to speak, funneling to the baby for as long as three minutes. Why waste all that extra good stuff, they ask, when all those nutrients, and red blood cells continue to flow? Why not wait until the so-called faucet runs dry?

Some medical teams clamp quickly while others delay until the cord is completely empty and turns white. If they need to clamp urgently for an emergency, some will milk the cord, which is a manual intervention to speed up the process. That is only safe for babies born after 27 weeks. Receiving the big dose of nutrients so quickly could affect a premature baby’s brain’s small blood vessels or its blood pressure.

When Should The Cord Be Clamped?

For full-term babies and even preterm ones, there’s no terrible harm if the cord is clamped immediately. That rarely happens, though, for practical reasons. Once the baby emerges, the medical team will take several steps before they even get to clamping: wipe the baby down, suction the nose and check the breathing. Those steps take at least half a minute. The cord is then often clamped while mom and baby have their first skin-to-skin contact.

Many doctors and parents want to wait even longer due to several potential benefits:

• 30 percent more blood, including the protein hemoglobin in blood; this helps the newborn’s lungs take in oxygen and expand more easily
• 60 percent more red blood cells, which helps newborns breathe well. Red blood cells carry oxygen and carbon dioxide to tissue and back again, reducing the chances of needing a blood transfusion.
• Extra stem cells, which are building blocks for blood, bones and muscle mass
• Extra immunities, also thanks to the stem cells
• 40 or more milligrams of iron, meaning your baby is less likely to be iron-deficient
• Nutrition, eking out those last vitamins and minerals from the placenta
• Neurodevelopment, such as fine motor skills and social ones, might be slightly higher at an earlier age for children whose clamping was delayed, but the evidence is slight
• 31 percent less chance of preterm babies dying

Just how long should you wait? One to three minutes is ideal, but discuss the cap with your doctor. Various medical groups promote a range from 30 seconds to five minutes.

Researchers have found only one significant downside to delayed clamping, and it’s minor. If you stall, your newborn might be more likely to develop jaundice, a liver issue that turns skin and eyeballs yellow. Jaundice is dangerous untreated, but light therapy will cure it quickly. Deliver in an institution that has the right equipment.

How To Let Doctors Know What You Prefer

If you want to make certain your cord clamping is delayed, plan ahead.

• Tell your doctor during an office visit and have it written into your medical plan
• Write it into your birthing plan
• Speak up, or have your birthing companion speak up, to every nurse and doctor in the delivery room with you

During this conversation, your doctor will explain that if the baby needs emergency help breathing or in any way, the cord will need to be clamped immediately.

You’re likely to have a healthy baby whether the umbilical cord is clamped quickly or a few minutes later. Since your child might benefit with little risk, consider choosing a delay.

This content is not AI generated.