Delayed Cord Clamping

We have opted to delay cord clamping upon the birth of our child. Usually, traditional doctors will clamp the umbilical cord within the first 30 seconds of delivery, merely for convenience and time management.
However, there are many benefits associated with delaying cord clamping until the cord stops pulsing (usually only about 7 minutes)
Some of the benefits are...

Umbilical cord blood is full of valuable T-cells that have cancer fighting properties.


So as long as the cord is unclamped, the average transfusion to the newborn is equivalent to 21% of the neonate's final blood volume and three quarters of the transfusion occurs in the first minute after birth. (Science Daily)


Whenever a pulsating umbilical cord is clamped,  20-60% of the baby's total blood volume is trapped inside the placenta.  A 9 pound baby manufactures only 10 ounces of blood during gestation.  It will take over 6 months for the baby to replenish the volume of blood lost by early cord clamping.In essence, newborns become involuntary blood donors.  HALF their blood volume is lost when their cords are early clamped. This decrease in necessary blood volume causes the babies to become anemic.   In most cases, the anemia is not diagnosed and the infant is sent home in a weakened state, more susceptible to a host of complications, including SIDS.
Restricted umbilical cord problems associated with anemia are Autism, heart perforations, thyroid disorders, brain tumors, leukemia, hormonal imbalances and liver/kidney disease. (1)


The USF review is published in a recent issue of the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (14:3).
"Several clinical studies have shown that delaying clamping the umbilical cord not only allows more blood to be transferred but helps prevent anemia as well," said the paper's lead author Dr. Paul Sanberg, director of the Center. "Cord blood also contains many valuable stem cells, making this transfer of stem cells a process that might be considered 'the original stem cell transplant'." 


1.References
http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/


Rabe H, Reynolds G, Diaz-Rosello J.  Early versus delayed umbilical cord clamping in pre-term infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2004 Oct 18;(4):CD003248.


Wadrop CA, Holland BM. The roles and vital importance of placental blood to the newborn infant. J Perinat Med, 1995;23(1-2):139-43.


Simon N, Morley GM.  Brainstem lesions in autism: birth asphyxia and ischemia as causative factors. International Meeting for Autism Research. November 1, 2004, Available online at www.cordclamping.com/IMFAR/IMFARpaper.htm

Gunther M. The transfer of blood between baby and placenta in the minutes after birth. Lancet, 1957 Jun 22;272(6982):1277-80.

Peltonen T. Placental transfusion: advantage and disadvantage. Eur J Pediatrics 1981 Oct;137(2):141-6.