Delayed Cord Clamping ......

I know there are a LOT of positives for the delay of clamping the baby's unbilical coed, the fact that it continues to "breath" for the delivered baby up to 5 mins post birth especially if the baby is slow to breath on her own.

BUT

I am wondering if anyone knows any NEGATIVE affects this has? OR situations when this would NOT be a good thing?? I am not looking for arguements as to why people do or don't do this but I am begining to question the "if its soooooo good, why do clamps go on straight away" (aside from the arguement that its a byproduct ITMS).

I am trying to get a more balanced understanding so I can go into my next labour fully armed with knowledge.

Thanks so much

Nae x x

The clamps go on straight away because the hospital system is about time management and policy. It's generally policy to take the baby, weigh them, clean them up etc instead of leaving the bub to have skin to skin with mum first thing.

We intended to delay cord clamping, however, there was meconium in DD's water, and when she was born she had a dangerously crackly chest, so it was our decision to clamp her cord so she could have a look over. I don't believe there are any situations where cord clamping has direct negative effects, but there are indirect things that can occur that makes cord clamping a more favourable outcome, like my situation. HTH.

:dunno: I was told that by delaying the clamping of the cord the baby continues to receive red blood cells from the placenta. This can increase the chance that they will become jaundiced because they have an overload of red blood cells in their system... This person was arguing that because so many babies do become jaundiced anyway, they don't really need these red blood cells...

Not 100% sure what I make of that argument though :dunno: but since you asked I thought I would share...

There is the argument that delayed cord clamping increases red blood cell load and so increaqses the risk of jaundice that will need treatment. One question I have is with the argument about increasing the amount of stem cells the baby gets, is that blood pumps out into the cord as well as into the baby, so I don't see how it would increase the levels of anything really. Also if baby comes out in obvious distress, like meconium being present, no respiratory effort etc, they will clamp straight away so they can help bub.

Have you read this Nae?

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/...-cord-clamping

We delayed because there are lots of proven benefits. I've heard the so called negatives are unproven?

There is a higher chance that your baby will become jaundiced as others have said, but as far as I have read there is no evidence that this jaundice is likely to require treatment beyond normal breastfeeding. There is lots of evidence on both sides of the fence for this so it is something worth reading up on.

The biggest problem with delayed cord clamping is that if the baby requires resuscitation it will be difficult to do this without clamping and cutting. However there are new resuscitation trolleys which allow baby to be resuscitated whilst still attached to the placenta but these are not common place and are unlikely to be so for the foreseeable future. In general if your baby is showing any signs of distress they will cut straight away to allow medical practitioners full and unrestricted access to your baby.

Delayed cord clamping is more problematic in a CS due to the fact that the baby will remain unwrapped until it is done, and theatres are generally cold places. It also lengthens the time that the abdominal wound is left open and at risk of infection. Also, babies are more likely to need some help breathing post CS so the above consideration re resuscitation applies again.

I posted a ton of links in a similar thread a few months ago...lots of info. Will see if I can find the thread for you x
But yes, there are medical arguments against delayed clamping.

As my iron levels were borderline, they were very hesitant to allow delayed cord clamping for us due to the blood loss for me. But we did achieve that with Will and they also were hesitant with the physiological fourth stage for the same reason but they tried and and all was OK :D

Here you go....
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ml#post2764266

HTH :D

I heard about the increased risk of jaundice too, but not until I had already had DS. We delayed clamping with DS and ended up taking him to the GP at 2 weeks old at the request of the child health nurse. His bilirubin (sp?) levels came back pretty high so we went back to hospital for him to go under the fluro lights. Phototherapy is it called? We were just there for one night, it wasn't till that next morning till I realised how orange he had been :redface: Whether or not the delayed clamping would have caused it I guess we would never know, but thought its worth sharing with you anyway :)

We didn't delay with DS, we did with DD. Both had jaundice, DS's lasted longer, but neither case was a problem, especially as my milk was filling their greedy little gutses up :) With DS we clamped because of suspected PPH (hard to tell in a bath) in the FBC and he cried :( With DD, delayed, she cried out, but settled really quickly.
I have read in a few places that delaying cord clamping has more benefits than clamping and banking the cord blood for that child. Between delaying clamping and breastfeeding, the reasons to need banked blood for stem cells diminish out of sight.
I don't think jaundice will be a problem for you, all other things being equal - it will be milder weather and you get lots of natural light in your house, and plenty of verandah space to catch rays, too :) I have a baby hammock you can borrow, if I can find where MiL stashed the spring, that I used for DD on the deck of our old house when she was teeny and DS and I would play out there while she slept off her 'glow' ;)

Ive quoted lots of studies and myths here:

Cord Blood and Why Delaying Cord Clamping Benefits Your Baby

The only thing ive heard about DCC is that the incidence of jaundice is meant to be generally higher. That said though, only one of my children had DCC and he is the only one whose jaundice was the mildest and resolved itself the easiest. All the others, well some of them were orange. Everything else ive heard has only been positive and in all honesty, having experienced 6 of my children being immediately clamped and 1 of my children being DCC, his presentation after birth was remarkable. My 6 that had immediate clamping were all a blue/purple colour for quite a long time after birth (they were fine and breathing etc, just their colour took awhile to pink up), they were also quite sleepy (no drugs to make them sleepy either). My DCC baby was immediately pink and so super alert it was amazing, so amazing i commented to my mw and said hes so pink and alert compared to the others, why is that? And she said, thats the DCC and i really beleive it was.

As has been said, the only reason they clamp immediately as general practice, is time management. The cord was always left to pulse years ago, its only in modern times where everything is about efficiency, schedules and protocol that the immediate clamping has come in as sometimes it can take awhile for the cord to stop pulsating and the placenta to come away naturally etc, well they dont have "time" to just sit around and wait.