Glossary

Term · Getting Ready for Birth

delayed cord clamping

Also: delayed umbilical cord clamping, delayed clamping, cord clamping

Waiting a short time after birth before cutting the umbilical cord, so more of the baby's own blood moves to the baby. It is endorsed by major obstetric groups.

In plain words

Delayed cord clamping means waiting before the umbilical cord is clamped and cut after birth. In that wait, blood keeps flowing from the placenta to the baby. Research has linked this to more red blood cells and more iron stores in the baby in the first months. Major obstetric and pediatric groups recommend it for most healthy babies. The usual wait is about 30 to 60 seconds, though some hospitals wait longer. It can be done with a baby on the mother's chest. Some mothers choose to bank cord blood or to have the cord left intact for a period. Delayed clamping is not a reason to delay care when a baby needs help right away, and the care team can always clamp sooner.

The deeper version

Delayed umbilical cord clamping increases placental transfusion, raising neonatal and iron stores. Andersson and colleagues (BMJ, 2011) found improved iron status at four months in a randomized trial of late versus early clamping in term infants, with higher and no increase in requiring treatment. ACOG Committee Opinion 814 (2020) endorses delayed clamping for term and preterm infants when feasible, and WHO intrapartum recommendations (2018) support it. The main controversy concerns the optimal timing, the effect on the need for resuscitation at birth, and whether benefits extend to long-term neurodevelopment, where evidence is less consistent. Milking the cord and cord-blood banking are separate practices with their own evidence.

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Sources

  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 814: Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping After Birth, 2020
  • Andersson O et al. — Effect of delayed versus early umbilical cord clamping on neonatal outcomes and iron status at 4 months. BMJ, 2011

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