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Doctors to help mothers give birth to their babies maintain a standard procedure during the delivery for the health and wellbeing of both the mother and baby. Once the baby is born, the doctor or potentially the father will clamp, and then cut the umbilical cord before handing the newborn to the mother.
Many birthing experts are proponents of delayed umbilical cord clamping as an alternative to the standard procedure. Delayed clamping is believed to improve iron levels within the new baby’s body without risking the health of the mother, or any other post birth practices.
A team of experts at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina sought to determine if delayed clamping was a healthy option. The team studied nearly 400 healthy births where clamping the umbilical cord was delayed – with half the babies held near the vagina, and the other half nestled comfortably on the mothers’ stomachs.
Dr. Néstor Vain was the lead author of the study, and said delayed clamping has been long underutilized by doctors. The goal of the study was to determine if the umbilical cord could still be clamped with the baby on the mother’s stomach, something Dr. Vain says is the preferred alternative.
“A mother would prefer to have the baby on top of her. And that doesn’t change the amount of placental transfusion, and facilitates the procedure for the obstetrician.”
Reasons to support clamping and cutting with the baby nestled in the arms of the mother include:
Delayed clamping helps improve iron in the baby without the risk of causing further blood loss in the mother
However, holding a cold, crying newborn for an extra two minutes near the vagina is awkward for doctors
Allowing the baby to nestle in the arms of the mother promotes early maternal bonding
The baby is also kept warm and comfortable while the umbilical cord is clamped and cut
The study did not include babies who were born prematurely or through a cesarean section as more research is needed on those processes. More details about the study can be found here.