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A baby's blood supply is independent of its mother's and remains within this closed circuit throughout pregnancy, labour and birth. As the baby is squeezed through the birth canal or an abdominal incision (if it's a caesarean birth), a lot of the baby's blood is pushed back into the placenta. But as the baby emerges, the umbilical cord - if left to pulsate - returns all of this blood to its rightful owner in a few minutes.
The cord continues to act as the baby's only oxygen supply until the baby starts to breathe before the placenta becomes detached. So, even when a baby needs help to breathe, the cord should ideally remain intact as the baby is resuscitated at the bedside. If the umbilical cord is cut too early, the baby can be deprived of oxygen, 20-30 per cent of its blood volume and 50 per cent of its red blood cell volume.
This shortage of blood will leave up to 30 per cent of babies with iron-deficient anaemia. A review of 27 studies involving six to 24-month-old babies found that babies with iron-deficient anaemia have significantly poorer brain, physical, social and emotional functioning. Iron deficiency has also been linked to recurring infections, autism and learning difficulties.
Aside from reducing the risk of iron-deficiency anaemia, delaying clamping by a few minutes has a range of other health benefits, including reduced lifetime risk of developing chronic lung disease, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, infection and abnormal tissue growths; reduced risk of bowel infections, death in premature babies, sepsis and brain haemorrhage in very premature babies; and an increased likelihood of being more sociable and better behaved at age four.
Babies who have delayed cord clamping also enjoy higher birth weights, compared with babies who have their cords clamped immediately.
Ultimately, immediate cord clamping disrupts the natural birth process and may cause harm to some babies by depriving them of essential blood and stem cells. Waiting until the umbilical cord is empty of blood before clamping it is the way to go.
- The Conversation