Usually, within 15-20 minutes after the birth of the child, the umbilical Cord is clamped.

And with delaying the process of clamping of the cord blood, more of that nourishing blood flows into the newborn.

Why does it?

Earlier, the process of cord clamping was performed right after the birth of the child to reduce the excessive bleeding after the birth of the newborn. So the question is whether or not the delaying of umbilical cord clamping will increase the risk factor of maternal hemorrhage (excessive bleeding after birth).

So, the answer might lie in the research, which says that this process of delayed umbilical cord blood is not correlated with increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage, neither with the excessive blood loss at the time of delivery nor has any connection with the reduction of postpartum hemoglobin level and doesn’t lead to the requirement for blood transfer.

Various Surveys in the array of infants have proven the fact that, approximately 80 ml of blood is transferred from the placenta within 1 minute after birth, which reaches up to an approximate rate of 100 ml within 3 minutes after the birth. This transfer of extra blood has shown meaningful benefits to the child.

Here, we mention some of these benefits which are improved transitional circulation, the better establishment of red blood cell volume and increased hemoglobin levels at birth and improved iron counts. This additional iron is known to prevent the iron deficiency in the first year of the child. While, the deficiency of iron is further related to impaired cognitive, motor, and behavioral development that may be irreversible.

Placental transfusion for a longer time span after the birth of the baby facilitates the transfer of immunoglobulin & stem cells, which is much needed in the repair process of tissue and organ. Immunoglobulin and stem cells transfer might particularly benefit in case of cellular injury, inflammation, and organ dysfunction, common in case of preterm birth.

Can I still bank my baby’s cord blood if I do Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping?

Well, yes!

It is possible to do that, cord blood can be collected unconcerned of whenever the cord is clamped. It is required to have an 50 ml of blood for the process of cord blood storage, which is a fraction of about 200 ml of blood that is contained in the placenta & umbilical cord. The more blood is collected by the doctor the better it is.

If you choose to delay the cord clamping by 1-3 minutes, approximately 80-100 mL of this blood is transferred to the infant, leaving more than enough to be stored in a cord blood bank.

Researchers have shown that delayed clamping had no major effect on collection efficiency. While the amount of blood collected was slightly reduced, the stem cell recovery was not.

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