Waiting a minute or two to clamp the umbilical cord after delivery is extremely beneficial to the baby.👶 Do you know why you should delay cord clamping?
Delayed cord clamping
🤰What is delayed cord clamping?
Delayed cord clamping means the umbilical cord isn’t clamped immediately after birth. Instead, it’s cut after one to three minutes.✂️
🤰Benefits of delayed cord clamping
Waiting for a minute or two allows extra blood🩸 to flow from the placenta to your baby, lowering the risk of iron deficiency and anemia in infancy. Also your baby👶 is less prone to the need for blood transfusion, necrotizing enterocolitis and brain hemorrhage.
🤰How does delayed cord clamping work?
After delivery, your baby is covered with a blanket to keep warm as soon as she comes out.🤗 At this point, the cord remains to be attached and continues to pulse for a few more minutes as blood flows from the placenta to the baby. When your uterus contracts again for the placenta to detach, your provider can clamp and cut the cord.✂️
Disadvantages of delayed cord clamping
👶Jaundice
One possible downside of delayed cord clamping is linked to a higher risk of jaundice. Your preterm baby👶 is prone to jaundice, which is an inability to break down excess red blood cells. The liver fails to process and eliminate bilirubin, leading to accumulation of the pigment in your baby’s blood and making her skin yellowish.💛
Since delayed cord clamping results in a greater amount of red blood cells, the baby can’t process them all; hence, the jaundice condition can’t heal itself but requires treatment.👩⚕️
👶Advices from experts
Delayed cord clamping outweighs the risks as long as phototherapy treatment for jaundice such as UV lamps is available.😃 It is possible whether you have a vaginal or cesarean delivery.
Most US hospitals🏥 are choosing early cord clamping to prevent you from over bleeding. If you want to delay it, you should consult with your doctor. Just keep in mind that early cord clamping is necessary in some circumstances to keep both you and your baby safe.😃