Delayed Cord Clamping
The umbilical cord is a connection between the mother and the developing fetus. The umbilical cord has three functions for the developing fetus: it supplies oxygen, it delivers nutrients, and it helps to withdraw blood rich in carbon dioxide and depleted in nutrients. The umbilical cord delivers oxygen and nutrients to your baby in utero and connects your baby to you.
Delayed cord clamping is when after your baby is born, the umbilical cord continues to pulsate, bringing more blood to your baby as it begins to transition to life outside the womb. Immediate cord clamping deprives babies of 200mls of blood, which is around 1/3 of babies total blood volume. So instead of your baby having 600mls of blood, your baby would only have 400mls. By practicing delayed cord clamping your baby could recieve up to 30% more blood. Delayed umbilical cord clamping appears to be beneficial for term and preterm infants. In term infants, delayed umbilical cord clamping increases hemoglobin levels at birth and improves iron stores in the first several months of life, which may have a favorable effect on developmental outcomes.
Delayed Cord Clamping Facts:
DCC can have a positive effect on both preterm and full-term babies. These benefits include an increase in placental transfusion, a 60% increase of RBCs and a 30% increase in neonatal blood volume.
decreased risk of iron deficiency anemia
delayed umbilical cord clamping was not associated with an increased risk of postpartum hemmorhage or increased blood loss at delivery
preterm infants experience improved transitional circulation, better establishement of red blood cell volume, decreased need for blood transfusion and lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and intraventricular hemorrhage
there are different definitions of delayed cord clamping; best to wait until the cord is completely white
The average time of placenta delivery is 10-45 minutes. When it’s ready, your uterus will contract and you will feel the urge to push out your placenta. There is NO need to rush this process or force the placenta out by pulling on it. Pulling on the cord to remove the placenta increases the risk of maternal hemorrhage.
3/4 of my births we were fortunate to practice delayed cord clamping. With my first birth with Bodhi, there was quite abit of meconium in the waters and they wanted to cut the cord and have the baby see a respiratory therapist right away. Now with all the education I have, I would have just assessed the situation before letting the midwives make it for me and not been in such a rush. My fourth baby (Willow) also had meconium in the waters, she was born at home and came out breathing just perfectly, so it’s really just best to assess the situation in the moment. Looking back I wish we delayed cord clamping and assessed his breathing while he was on my chest, instead of being pulled away from me in the first moments.
In my other births, the cord was completely white and the placenta has stopped pulsating before the cord was cut! This is ideal. Baby would be snuggling on your chest as you deliver the placenta, anywhere from 10-50 minutes post birth. With Willow, my placenta did not deliver until an hour and 15 minutes in which my midwives did help palpate it out as they were worried for maternal hemorrhage. With light palpation, my placenta delivered, and delayed cord clamping proceeded.
