It basically means that doctors 🧑⚕️ don’t immediately cut the umbilical cord. They allow extra time ⏱️ for the blood🩸in the cord and placenta to flow to the baby. Doctors wait at least 3️⃣0️⃣ to 6️⃣0️⃣ seconds, sometimes up to 5️⃣ minutes, to clamp and cut the umbilical cord.
For many years, doctors would clamp and cut the umbilical cord right after the birth of a baby 👶. Now research discovered that delayed cord clamping can give your newborn a healthy boost.
So what are the benefits of delayed cord clamping?
1️⃣. Studies have shown that waiting to clamp the cord for 30 to 60 seconds allows beneficial blood cells to get through the cord to the baby. That extra boost of iron helps babies transition to this new hemoglobin in the first weeks of life.
Did you know:
⬇️⬇️⬇️
Red blood cells can go from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the baby even up to 5 minutes after birth?!
2️⃣. The benefits are even greater for preterm babies
According to Barnes, delayed cord clamping in preterm babies decreases the number of needed blood transfusions and reduce the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis & interventricular hemorrhage.
✴️Necrotizing Enterocolitis = a serious disease that affects the intestines of premature babies.
✴️Intraventricular Hemorrhage = blood in baby’s brain that can cause lifelong neurologic problems.
3️⃣. It can even be done with a C-section
Cord clamping can take place after the placenta has been removed from the mom’s uterus, there is no extra risk to the mom or baby to delay cord clamping after a C-section.
4️⃣. So why is it so healthy for baby?
Because it has all of this: 👇
🔹Iron
🔹Vitamin K
🔹White blood cells
🔹Red blood cells
🔹Oxygen
🔹Stem cells