Delayed procedure of cutting the umbilical cord
after delivery gives your baby numerous health benefits, say physicians
New Delhi: If you're pregnant and/or about to deliver soon, then make
sure you get your umbilical cord clamped and cut after some time.
Most hospitals cut the umbilical cord right after delivery, but now, a
group of physicians have suggested that delaying the procedure bears a huge
amount of health benefits for the baby.
According to VOA News, the American Congress of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, in an opinion from its Committee on Obstetric Practice that was
published on the ACOG website, said that instead of quickly clamping off the
cord that connects the newborn to its placental sac, doctors should wait an
additional 30 to 60 seconds. Those extra seconds for babies born at term are
associated with an increase in hemoglobin levels in newborns, the statement
said.
In 2015, a similar recommendation was issued, suggesting that the
umbilical cord should not be cut earlier than 30 to 60 seconds after birth,
when it comes to term and preterm infants. However, the World Health
Organization recommends delaying the procedure by an entire minute in the same
conditions.
The main reason for the recommended delay is because the transfer of blood
from the placenta takes place approximately a minute after birth and is
extended for a total of three minutes thereafter. Moreover, the first breaths
that the newborn takes have been correlated with this process. Furthermore, the
blood contains essential quantities of iron, which help provide the newborns
with the requisite amount of iron for the first year of their life. This in
turn helps build the baby's cognitive, motor and behavioral strength.
The longer the placental transfusion, the greater the benefits. The
connection also facilitates immunoglobulins, as well as stem cells, which are
indispensable for tissue and organ repairs.
VOA News further reported that waiting several seconds more to clamp off
the umbilical cord also has benefits for premature babies, ACOG said. The
practice improves circulation in the newborn just after birth and decreases the
need for blood transfusion due to a decrease in red blood cell volume. In
addition, delaying clamping lowers the risk of brain hemorrhage and intestinal
disease.
However, the opinion issued by ACOG on delayed clamping noted that there
is a slight risk of jaundice in the newborn. But the problem is manageable and
doctors and other health care professionals should have proper procedures in
place to handle it.
28.12.2016
Raise
your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder
Jalal
ad-Din Rumi
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