Delayed cord clamping...
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candymycandy
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I have this on my birth plan and would like it all being well x
Mum2Many
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I've done delayed cord clamping several times. In general I believe it's a good thing. Helps reduce the risk of anaemia as the extra blood is transferred to the baby, helps prevent sepsis in newborns and it gives them extra iron so can help prevent iron deficiency for the first 6 months or so of their life.
However, there is a downside (as I discovered to my youngest childs cost) especially if your baby is premature and you have gestation diabetes as it can increase bilirubin levels and cause jaundice meaning an increase in needing phototherapy shortly after birth...
Most of my babies who had DCC were absolutely perfect (although a little red from the extra blood in their system), however, my youngest who was born at 36 weeks was very ill for a long time. I had uncontrolled Gestational Diabetes though that was not stable despite insulin and between that and her prematurity it resulted in her having very severe early onset jaundice which required high intensity phototherapy. Then several days after being discharged she had to go back in for more high intensity phototherapy (ended up under high intensity light AND a bili bed and on the verge of needing a transfusion).... She was extremely red for the first month or so of her life too and it was generally believed between all the Drs who's care we were under that a lot of her problems were as a result of delayed cord clamping.
That said, would I do it again next time? Yes I would! For me, the benefits in the extra Iron far outweighed the small possibility of jaundice.
However, there is a downside (as I discovered to my youngest childs cost) especially if your baby is premature and you have gestation diabetes as it can increase bilirubin levels and cause jaundice meaning an increase in needing phototherapy shortly after birth...
Most of my babies who had DCC were absolutely perfect (although a little red from the extra blood in their system), however, my youngest who was born at 36 weeks was very ill for a long time. I had uncontrolled Gestational Diabetes though that was not stable despite insulin and between that and her prematurity it resulted in her having very severe early onset jaundice which required high intensity phototherapy. Then several days after being discharged she had to go back in for more high intensity phototherapy (ended up under high intensity light AND a bili bed and on the verge of needing a transfusion).... She was extremely red for the first month or so of her life too and it was generally believed between all the Drs who's care we were under that a lot of her problems were as a result of delayed cord clamping.
That said, would I do it again next time? Yes I would! For me, the benefits in the extra Iron far outweighed the small possibility of jaundice.
Coletteypie
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I read about this and was going to ask midwife about it.
Think as long as birth goes well and I'm not hemorrhaging (sp?), then I would be keen to do it for the baby's benefit. Guess does depend on how you are doing post birth. But I read that even a 30 second to 1 min delay in cutting can prove beneficial if not keen on waiting for the pulsing to stop. So I might go down that route rather than the full hog!!
Think as long as birth goes well and I'm not hemorrhaging (sp?), then I would be keen to do it for the baby's benefit. Guess does depend on how you are doing post birth. But I read that even a 30 second to 1 min delay in cutting can prove beneficial if not keen on waiting for the pulsing to stop. So I might go down that route rather than the full hog!!
Durhamchance
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Can I ask why they don't do this routinely if it's so good for baby? Not being argumentative, just curious.
Mum2Many
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To be honest, they can't agree on the length of time that's most beneficial. And if you think about it, it's normally a minute or two before they clamp it anyway unless there's a problem. I think it's generally thought that around 2-5 minutes is a pretty good time.
Really I think the only confirmed benefit is the extra Iron a baby gets. That's not disputed fact at all so far as I'm aware. And considering that a significant proportion of the population is lacking in Iron it can take a baby a lot longer to "catch up" on the Iron if they're low. They also get a significant amount of stem cells and immunoglobulins.
It's something the NHS are talking about/have been talking about bringing on board though last I heard. So it may well become a routine thing very soon. And most midwives are happy to delay cord clamping if you ask them.
Really I think the only confirmed benefit is the extra Iron a baby gets. That's not disputed fact at all so far as I'm aware. And considering that a significant proportion of the population is lacking in Iron it can take a baby a lot longer to "catch up" on the Iron if they're low. They also get a significant amount of stem cells and immunoglobulins.
It's something the NHS are talking about/have been talking about bringing on board though last I heard. So it may well become a routine thing very soon. And most midwives are happy to delay cord clamping if you ask them.
Em91
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This is a quote from their new guidelines... Do not clamp the cord earlier than 1*minute from the birth of the baby unless there is concern about the integrity of the cord or the baby has a heartbeat below 60*beats/minute that is not getting faster.
Clamp the cord before 5*minutes in order to perform controlled cord traction as part of active management.
If the woman requests that the cord is clamped and cut later than 5*minutes, support her in her choice.*[new 2014]
Clamp the cord before 5*minutes in order to perform controlled cord traction as part of active management.
If the woman requests that the cord is clamped and cut later than 5*minutes, support her in her choice.*[new 2014]
Em91
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The whole new 2014 guidelines can be found here
http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg190/chapter/key-priorities-for-implementation
& makes for informative reading :-D
http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg190/chapter/key-priorities-for-implementation
& makes for informative reading :-D
Cosmogirl7
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I've just started looking into this and from what I've briefly read it seems like a no brainer to delay the cord clamping unles constricting baby or something.
Give this a watch, it has an interesting take on it which I'll be honest I had no clue about
http://youtu.be/Cw53X98EvLQ
Give this a watch, it has an interesting take on it which I'll be honest I had no clue about
http://youtu.be/Cw53X98EvLQ
Taboo917
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They delayed cord clamping when I had Caleb for a good couple of minutes as I'd requested on birth plan...like you've said from what you read makes sense and had the added bonus daddy had stopped shaking enough to cut the cord lol!
