Childbirth Practice May Change As Studies Show Delay In Cord Cutting Benefits Newborns

The rules of what is best practice during pregnancy and childbirth are changing all the time but the latest study reveals something some midwives claim to have known for years already.

This study may see midwives delay cutting the umbilical cord in the future following evidence that it improves the health of newborns.

The Royal College of Midwives in the UK is now preparing to update its guidelines on childbirth. The update will recommend delaying clamping for most women who give birth in hospitals, which will affect about 90 per cent of all births.

Current birth guidance advises to cut and clamp the umbilical cord within 30 seconds to protect babies from too much exposure to a synthetic hormone given to mothers to speed up labour and deliver the placenta.

It was also thought to help prevent a baby getting jaundice, a condition that causes yellowing of the skin, and was encouraged because of the risk of bleeding in new mothers.

However, doctors have long debated the issue and the latest studies have now found that delaying the procedure by just a few minutes has significant health benefits for the baby.

It is thought being connected to the maternal blood supply for longer helps protect babies against iron deficiency and anaemia, and allows vital stem cells to be transferred.

Increasing numbers of women have also been asking midwives to delay cutting and clamping to allow more blood to drain from the placenta into the baby. Some women claim they feel it is better to be physically connected to the baby for longer.  

Mervi Jokinen, practice and standards development adviser at the Royal College of Midwives told the Daily Mail; “We are supporting the midwives not to clamp the cord immediately. We’ve not finalised the guidelines and in terms of how long it will recommend delaying clamping for, we don’t know.

“Guidelines drawn up by different organisations vary from one to five minutes, and even up to ten.

“Most midwives will have to use their judgment in terms of the clinical situation. It’s more likely to happen within three to five minutes.”

Mrs Jokinen added that the change was driven by the evidence from clinical studies, but also because a growing number of women were asking for midwives to delay clamping.

A major US study published in 2007, which involved more than 1,900 newborns, found a two-minute delay was enough to reduce the  risk of anaemia by half and low iron levels in the blood by a third.

The World Health Organisation dropped early clamping from its guidelines in 2007.