Do you think the cord should be clamped immediately?

Question

Delaying Clamping of the cord?
Immediate clamping of the cord may reduce the baby's red blood cell count by 50%!

After the baby is born (vaginally) doctors usually cut the cord immediately, for no reason other than convenience. (or if the cord is wrapped around the baby's neck). Otherwise there is no reason that the cord should be cut untill after the placenta is delivered.

It could take up to 5 minutes for the blood to stop pulsating from the placenta to the baby. If they recieved all of the possible cord blood, the better off they would be.

Did you have your babies cord cut immediately?

sounds like somebody got a little defensive!

Source: The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth
by Sheila Kitzinger

Answer 1

Ms. Kitzinger seems to be a little off on her information. I'm a paramedic, and I've never cut a pulsating umbilical cord, nor have I ever seen a doctor cut one. SOP after a delivery is to hold the baby below the level of the vagina (to allow gravity to assist in transfusing the blood from the placenta), wait for the cord pulse to stop, then clamp and cut it.

It's possible that it could take that long for placental blood to transfuse, but it's unlikely. Valves in the neonatal heart close when the child takes his or her first breath, shutting off the bloodflow to the placenta and opening bloodflow to the lungs. The umbilical cord normally stops pulsing within seconds after the first breath.

Waiting to cut the cord can do serious harm to the child. Five minutes is well more than enough time for stagnant blood to clot. A blood clot that formed in this manner could travel into the child's bloodstream via gravity or pressure on the placenta when the placental contractions start. If this occurred, it would deliver the clot directly into the right ventricle of the infant's heart. Doctors don't cut the cord because it's convenient. They cut it because it prevents life-threatening complications.

In sum, the umbilical cord should (and typically is) cut as soon as it stops pulsing; not before, and not after.

Answer 2

some docs supply the alternative of waiting to clamp the twine only till it stops pumping. yet your OB is nice; the swifter they get the child to the hotter and may be sure each little thing is superb the further proper. that is done by using clamping the twine. the major reason the twine must be clamped genuine rapidly is becuase the twine, till clamped, remains shifting blood out of your infant and to you. If the child is held above you, so the twine is better, blood it is interior the child can rush again out teh twine and into you and vice versa; which could recommend one in all you may have major blood loss. which isn't good. a tremendous kind of the individuals who enable you to attend till the umbillical twine stops pumping are the midwives. slicing the umbillical twine does no longer damage you or the child in any respect. There aren't any nerve endings interior the twine. once you've any further concerns, sit down and communicate with your medical professional about it. Have her furnish you with the reason why she says you want to shrink it and attempt to stumble on a compromise.

Answer 3

i have two kids both premature. My sons my 1st, cord was cut because he was not breathing on his own. I had to deliver the placenta it took like 15 Min's to com out. He had low apgars 3 then 6. My daughter did not have her cord cut until the placenta was out. She was not dis stressed either thou. Her afterbirth came out right after her in a few seconds. The cord was cut by her dad it was not pulsing. I think that statement doctors just cut for there own convenience is false. Doctors KNOW the benefits of letting it stop pulsing. WET HER you had it cut immediately or not IS NOT UP TO THE MOM. If there is a problem where the baby needs NICU care the cord is CUT without ever asking mom to try to save the child. In a ideal birth doctor will let the afterbirth come then cut. It's not up to us moms anyway. Would you tell then don't cut it yet if your child was not breathing?

Answer 4

Yes, for my first child the cord was cut less than two minutes after the birth. I recall they did a blood test using a pin prick at the heel before we left the hospital; he was fine. I hadn't heard about a possible red blood cell count due to cord clamping. I hope this helps you.

Answer 5

They have tests that need to be performed on the infant as soon, or within a certain ammount of minutes after the baby is born and they cannot wait until the placenta is out. It is more important to get the baby tested.

Answer 6

My training as a pre-hospital care giver was not to cut the cord immediately.

Answer 7

I certainly did. It gives the docs more leeway to work with the placenta while the nurses can focus on the baby. Baby is out of the way.

Answer 8

Oh for crying out loud! Since the world's population is constantly expanding and this practice is still in use in hospitals around the world, what is the problem? Maybe, just maybe, if we monitored our children more consistently, they would be better off. If we actually enforced the elimination of drug use, they would be better off. Maybe if we clipped the ends off of hotdogs, since so many still choke on that part, they would be better off! uh huh, right, give me a break!

Answer 9

Yep. But I never thought of it your way... Interseting

Answer 10

I leave it up to the doc, that's why he gets the big bucks