babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Wait — Don’t Cut the Cord!
You know the drill. Baby’s head emerges. Then the body. Doc clamps the cord, hands dad/partner the scissors. Snip! A baby is born.
But wait! A new study says baby’s would actually benefit from continued attachment to the placenta, if only for a few extra minutes.
The most recent issue of the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, summarized on MSNBC, recommends waiting until the cord stops pulsating before clamping and cutting the cord.
Cord blood contains stem cells, explain the researchers. Those stem cells can develop into a suite of other cells. Back when immediate clamping and cutting was first practiced, we didn’t know anything about stem cells.
But now, we know they’re like microscopic gold! A review of the literature shows that the cord blood reduced the risk of many illnesses, “including respiratory distress, chronic lung disease, brain hemorrhages, anemia, sepsis and eye disease.”
Delayed cord clamping was shown to be especially beneficial to “premature babies, those born malnourished or suffering from other complications.”
Through history, some argue, allowing cord blood to flow into the infant has been the case for humans and most mammals. In fact, giving birth in a squatting position — the norm throughout history until only recently — allowed gravity to boost the blood going to the newborns.
If delayed clamping is good, “lotus birthers” will tell you no clamping is even better. These people don’t bother cutting. They just wrap up the placenta with the baby and wait a couple of weeks for the whole darn thing to fall off.
More Posts
School Banned Driving Kids to School
Bristol Palin on Levi: He’s a Stranger to Me
Post C-Section Hysterectomies Increase Death Risk
9/11 Caused Boys to be Miscarried
Epidural Shortage a Pain for Laboring Women
Children’s Books are Killing the Earth
Single Fathers Different, Dad Says
Swedish Docs Stop Circumcisions
When Dad-to-Be Thinks Birth is Nasty
Parents Group PO’d About Twitcom
Nursing Mom Criticized for Making Kids as Questions
3 Ground Rules for Eating Out with Kids
Babies in Bars, Strollers on Sidewalks: Urban Culture Clash
Sleepovers and Gay Parents — Bad Idea?
Mom Who Dropped Kids at Mall Lived Criminal ‘Justice’ Hell
2 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make with Their Kids’ Teeth
Is It Sometimes Wrong to Keep Preemies Alive?
Blogger’s Son Survives; Now a New Reality
Did ‘Babies’ Filmmaker Break the Law?
10 Best, 10 Worst Cities for Moms
Girl Catches Disney’s Grammar Error
Go Back To Strollerderby
2 Comments
[...] Don’t Cut the Umbilical Cord [...]
Maternity Leave, Childcare and other Battles for Moms | Strollerderby commented on May 27 10 at 2:11 pmAlicia commented on May 26 10 at 11:20 pmThe wrap the baby with the placenta thing… takes it a bit too far.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
2