Should you clamp the umbilical cord quickly after birth?

Clamping and cutting a baby’s umbilical cord as soon as it is born can be bad for its health. The World Health Organisation advises that clamping should be delayed for two to three minutes after the baby has been born, and the UK watchdog NICE advices midwives and obstetricians not to clamp the cord earlier than one minute after the birth.
In the past, the umbilical cord was clamped and cut as soon as the baby was born. Now studies have shown that waiting for a few minutes is better. This waiting is called “delayed cord clamping.” The best number of minutes to wait is still being studied.
In the past, the umbilical cord was clamped and cut as soon as the baby was born. Now studies have shown that waiting for a few minutes is better. This waiting is called “delayed cord clamping.”
It is common for the umbilical cord to be loosely wrapped around the baby’s neck at the time of birth. Most babies don’t have any problems from this. Your health care provider can usually unwrap the umbilical cord and then wait before clamping and cutting it.

Can delaying cord clamps after birth improve newborn baby’s brain structure?

A 5-minute delay in clamping the umbilical cord after birth may benefit an infant’s developing brain, suggests a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The results of this research recently prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to recommend delayed cord clamping in all births. Specifically WHO advises that cord clamping should not be done until at least 1-3 minutes after delivery or longer.
Early cord clamping has been standard practice over many years, and enables quick transfer of the infant to neonatal care. Delayed clamping allows blood flow between the placenta, umbilical cord and baby to continue, and may aid transition.
In a previous study, authors reported that, by 48 hours of age, infants who had been randomly assigned to a 5-minute delay in cord clamping at birth had higher levels of hemoglobin (a red blood cell protein), but were no more likely than infants undergoing immediate cord clamping to have excess levels of bilirubin or red blood cells.

When should I be worried about an umbilical cord infection?

However, contact your baby’s doctor if the umbilical area oozes pus, the surrounding skin becomes red and swollen, or the area develops a pink moist bump. These could be signs of an umbilical cord infection.
The umbilical cord does not fall off even after six weeks. Proper cleaning of the umbilical cord stump must be maintained as keeping it in unhygienic or damp conditions can increase the likelihood of infection. The umbilical cord stump must be checked often to identify any signs of infection.
These could be signs of an umbilical cord infection. Prompt treatment is needed to stop the infection from spreading. Also, talk to your baby’s doctor if the stump still hasn’t separated after three weeks. This might be a sign of an underlying problem, such an infection or immune system disorder.
Umbilical Cord Infection in Newborns. Post-delivery, the doctor or the midwife detaches the cord to the size of a stump at your baby’s navel. This stump does not have its supply of blood vessels. It eventually dries, shrivels, and withers in a few weeks. Usually, it does not take more than 3 weeks for the stump to disappear.

When will my Baby’s umbilical cord stump fall off?

When Does Umbilical Cord Fall Off? After your baby is born, the umbilical stump usually dries up and falls off when your baby is about two weeks old. Two weeks isn’t an exact number, some babies lose their stump as early as 7 days and as late as 21 days.
Think of it as a last souvenir of your baby’s uterine stay: the umbilical cord stump. After your baby is born and his umbilical cord is cut, a bit of it remains attached to his navel. The color of the stump changes from a yellowish-green at birth to black as it dries up and then falls off, typically one to four weeks later.
After it is cut, a small amount of the cord will remain attached to your baby’s belly button – this will be about two to three centimetres long and is known as the ‘cord stump’. Over the next seven to 14 days, the stump will get darker, dry out, shrivel and will eventually fall off.
The umbilical stump does not contain any nerves and your baby will not feel any pain there. According to doctors, without trauma or infection, the stump can fall off early with no issues at all. Let’s take a look at one case:

Is clamping and cutting a baby’s umbilical cord bad for its health?

When the umbilical cord is not clamped and cut right after the baby is born, the baby gets more of their own blood back into their body. Getting extra blood may lower the chance of your baby having low iron levels at 4 to 6 months of life and may help your baby’s health in other ways.
If your baby is preterm (born more than 3 weeks before your due date), it is recommended to wait about 60 seconds before clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. Your health care provider may hold the baby lower than your abdomen (belly) to help the blood in the cord flow towards your baby faster during this short period of time.
Two studies, one from 2015 and one from 2018, found delayed clamping to be safe and beneficial for preterm twins. Immediate cord clamping is generally necessary if you’re bleeding heavily after giving birth, if the baby isn’t breathing, or if another concern makes prompt medical attention necessary.
Overall, the children whose cords were clamped three or more minutes after birth scored slightly higher on an assessment of fine motor skills and social skills than the children whose cords were clamped 10 seconds or less after birth. Delayed clamping may reduce the need for blood transfusions and improve circulation in premature babies.

How long should the cord be clamped after birth?

That extra boost of iron helps babies transition to this new hemoglobin in the first weeks of life. Red blood cells can go from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the baby even up to five minutes after birth. Q. How long should you delay cord clamping? A. We recommend 30 to 60 seconds.
When the umbilical cord is not clamped and cut right after the baby is born, the baby gets more of their own blood back into their body. Getting extra blood may lower the chance of your baby having low iron levels at 4 to 6 months of life and may help your baby’s health in other ways.
Delayed clamping means the umbilical cord isn’t clamped immediately after birth. Instead, it’s clamped and cut between one and three minutes after birth. Currently, most hospitals in the United States practice early (immediate) cord clamping. This means cutting the umbilical cord 10 to 15 seconds after birth or sooner .
We wait 30 to 60 seconds, sometimes up to five minutes, to clamp and cut the umbilical cord. Q. What are the benefits of delayed cord clamping?

When is the best time to cut the umbilical cord?

Technically, once your baby is birthed, the umbilical cord will no longer be necessary but it is highly advised to wait at least one minute before cutting it. When will the umbilical cord be cut?
According to a review by The Cochrane Library, it is possible that keeping your baby connected to their umbilical cord for a period longer than one minute may result in specific health outcomes. This is referred to as delayed cord clamping.
Similarly, if your baby is having trouble breathing when he’s born, it might be important to cut the cord early so he can get all the help he needs to take those first few breaths. But delayed cord clamping is often still on the table for C-sections, so you still may qualify if you have that kind of birth.
Waiting to cut the umbilical cord also doesn’t affect the results of the Apgar test which is performed five minutes after birth. However, if the mother has been sedated during childbirth, the umbilical cord should be cut immediately. This way, the medication doesn’t continue to pass to the baby.