What is delayed cord clamping?
And why would I want to do it?
Next to the placenta, the umbilical cord is quite the fascinating conduit for growing a human. It’s both the actual life support between the birthing person and the baby and the emotional support. It is here where the nutrients from the placenta (from the birthing person) travel through the baby’s blood to their body. The placenta acts as the sieve, catching all the goodies from the pregnant person and then the cord carries them right up to that babe. Some say this is also true of all the love and endorphins as well.
When a baby is born, the umbilical cord is still attached to the baby and placenta and is still functioning. In fact, it’s the route that the remaining blood for the baby will follow. To be more specific, when a baby is born, some of the blood travels to the placenta - both because that’s its job and also because during delivery the cord gets a bit squished and it needs somewhere to go.
So this brings us to cord clamping…it’s common practice for many hospitals to clamp the cord quickly after delivery. But this blocks the placenta from sending those last few goodies to the new little babe. And in some cases, it can be up to 30% of their blood volume. In fact, after delivery, it’s common that the cord is the color blue and is pulsating. This is because it is still acting as a conduit and is making its final deposit.
Thus, many ask about delayed clamping. For some, this is a time period, such as one minute, and for others its to wait until the cord stops pulsating. There really is no medical reason to cut the cord really at all, unless there’s an emergency and the baby needs taken to another space or the birthing person needs immediate attention. Many birthing people birth the placenta with baby and cord still attached. And many cultures then have ceremony as part of the removal.
But are there any benefits besides blood volume? According to the American College of Gynecologists, delayed cord clamping:
Increases hemoglobin levels
Increases iron stores
Lowers the risk of hemorrhage in preterm babies
They now recommend that providers wait at least 30-60 seconds to clamp when possible. But when does it stop pulsating? It depends on the person. For some, it’s as quick as 30 seconds; for others, it's a few minutes.*
The next question then is…innie or outie? 😍
*Tip: if you do want to have delayed clamping and you’re worried that it might not happen, have your birth partner hold the cord in their hands after delivery. They can feel when it stops pulsating to let the team know, and it kinda acts like a stop for those who want to mess with it before you’re ready.
