When your baby is born, it’s really important that delayed cord clamping is done in order for the baby to receive all of its precious blood. When your baby is born they will still be attached to their placenta and the cord is cut and tied due to the placenta no longer being needed.
Up to ⅓ of the baby’s blood is still external to their body when they are born and this needs to pass through the placenta and through the umbilical cord and into the baby. This process is normally quite quick and will transform the cord into one like this picture to one which goes very white and almost limp
By ensuring that you wait for white means that your baby will have their maximum blood volume and can help protect them by decreasing the risk of the iron-deficiency anemia. This is important as the iron in the blood increases your baby’s iron storge, this is really important for healthy brain development 🧠
It also helps with a smoother transition for the baby in the outside world due to them being able to pump more blood around the body, in particular benefitting the heart and lungs 💛
Although a lot of NHS Trusts are now doing this as standard, it's still really important to make it clear on your birth preferences and that your birth partner is able to support you with in order for you to be able to focus on newborn baby snuggles! 👶🏾
Written by www.theyorkshirehypnobirthingschool.co.uk