Pros And Cons Of Cord Clamping

To understand the pros and cons of delayed cord clamping you must first understand what cord clamping is, and why it is done. “Cord clamping is part of the third stage of labor, which is the time between delivery of the infant and the placenta. The cord is usually clamped by applying two clamps. The cord is cut between the clamps.” (Reynolds, 2007) Cord clamping is done at the moment of birth to cut off the supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the baby from the placenta. Delayed cord clamping is a practice where the umbilical cord is not clamped or cut until after placental pulsations have ceased, or until after the placenta is delivered usually at least 60 seconds after delivery of the infant and as long as five minutes. There is a large debate among health care providers as to whether or not delayed cord clamping has any actual benefit. There are many good key points on either side of the argument and the decision ultimately resides upon the doctor performing the birth and the mother giving birth. Few things can sway a decision one way or another regardless of the decision of the doctor or the mother. (Reynolds, 2007) The largest argument on …show more content…
There are contraindications for it as with any medical procedure. These contraindications include multiple gestation babies, infants with congenital anomalies, meconium stained fluid where the infant is at risk of aspirating the fluid, infants with concerning fetal heart rate patterns, placental abnormalities such as placenta abruptio or placenta previa, infants with very low or undetectable heart rates and neonates who need to be immediately evaluated by a physician. Many people believe that another contraindication would be if the infant needs resuscitation immediately after birth however there are many doctors who believe a 30-60 second delay of cord clamping may improve their chance of recovery by increasing intravascular pressure. (Gupta,