Both my doula clients and CBE clients both know how passionate I am about cord blood clamping. I always rejoice when a mainstream publication touts the benefits of this practice. A recent article in The Economist – Infantile anaemia: Blood Simple discusses the concerning statistics of infantile anaemia (one quarter of children born in the U.S.) and how delayed cord blood clamping could be the answer. The article in The Economist was inspired by a study published in the British Medical Journal by Ola Andersson, an obstetrician at the Hospital of Halland in Halmstad, Sweden. She has suggested that delayed cord blood clamping could significantly reduce the rate of infantile anaemia.

She has found that, at 4 months of age, babies whose umbilical clamps had been applied 3 minutes after birth had, on average, iron levels 45% higher than those whose cords had been clamped immediately. Put another way, only 0.6% of them were anaemic, compared with 5.7% of the rapidly clamped.
Ina May Gaskin suggests that when one starts to doubt birth we need to look to other mammals. Since elephants always have access to scissors and dogs carry clamps on their collar (detect the sarcasm) we should not be surprised by the findings of Ola’s study. Researchers at the University of South Florida’s Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair state “many good physiological “gifts” are transferred through ‘nature’s first stem cell transplant’ occurring at birth.” If left to our own instincts, would the clamping and cutting even be a part of our regular birth ritual? Could it perhaps have been born out of convenience for those who need to clean up and get on to the next?
I am not suggesting that there aren’t very valid reasons for a care provider to determine that the cord must be clamped and cut immediately in some medical emergencies, but I am very much suggesting that it should not be common practice. It should at least be seriously considered by those who make hospital policy, not just avoided like the plague. Many forward thinking hospitals have indeed adopted delayed cord blood clamping, even in cases of c-section birth. It is time that all hospitals catch up!
I strongly encourage all pregnant parents to speak to their care providers about delayed cord blood clamping. Do your own research and determine whether it might be something that you feel would benefit your baby. Let’s slowly bring about change by demystifying this procedure and make it common practice in healthy, normal pregnancy.

References:
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/05/24/do.we.clamp.umbilical.cord.too.soon
http://www.economist.com/node/21540226

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