A little bit of patience from birth attendants may be good for babies, according to a new study in JAMA Pediatrics. In the interests of efficiency and concern about complications, some obstetricians have become accustomed to clamping the umbilical cord immediately so that it can be cut.
Wait, Wait…
But the research shows that waiting three to five minutes before cutting the cord may have measurable benefits. The extra blood that the newborn gains improves iron stores. That’s important because breast milk, the preferred source of nutrition for infants, is not a rich source of iron.
The research included 263 full term babies in Sweden. They were randomly assigned to have the umbilical cord clamped at 10 seconds or at more than three minutes after birth.
Slightly Better Skills
Once these infants had become four-year-olds, the boys who had undergone delayed cord clamping showed better fine motor skills as well as social abilities. Though the differences were modest, they were statistically significant. There were, however, no noticeable differences in IQ.
Researchers are uncertain why these differences did not show up in girls as well, but they suspect boys may be more vulnerable to iron deficiency.
None of the infants experienced complications from delayed cord clamping.
Dr. Alan Greene, our People’s Pharmacy pediatrics consultant, discussed the timing of cord clamping at a TEDxBrussels talk in 2012. You can learn more about it here.
