Pregnancy

Delaying cord clamping may have long term benefits

by ParentCo. May 27, 2015

According to several recent studies, delaying cord clamping at birth may have small long term benefits including higher scores in social skills and fine motor skills at age 4.

Delaying the clamping of the cord allows more blood to transfer from the placenta to the infant, sometimes increasing the infant's blood volume by up to a third. The iron in the blood increases infants' iron storage, and iron is essential for healthy brain development.

I am neither a doctor nor a scientist, but to me, this just seems like old fashioned common sense. For nine months, the life of the baby has depended on the function of the placenta. The moment they transition from womb to world, the work is not instantly done. Giving the cord just one minute to deliver oxygen rich blood is now a recommended practice by the World Health Organization. Source: Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping May Benefit Children Years Later : Shots - Health News : NPR

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