If you have so many benefits for the baby, Why is the umbilical cord cut not delayed for a couple of minutes, whenever possible, as WHO recommends? A new study indicates that waiting for those minutes for the cut favors the development of the baby the first days of life.
Many immediate and long-term benefits of late cutting of the umbilical cord are already known and this research confirms these advantages within a few days of birth.
The multidisciplinary study has been carried out by scientists from the University of Granada (departments of Physiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology) and the San Cecilio de Granada Clinical Hospital, and published in the journal "Pediatrics".
Specifically, it is noted that late cutting of the umbilical cord produces an increase in the antioxidant capacity of newborns term and moderation of inflammatory effects in the case of induced births.
The scientists worked with a sample of 64 healthy pregnant women who gave birth in a spontaneous vaginal birth at the San Cecilio de Granada Clinical Hospital.
Half of the newborns had their umbilical cord cut at 10 seconds, while in the other half this operation was performed later, at two minutes. It was in this last group that it was found that late cutting influences the resistance to oxidative stress of neonates and reduces the inflammatory signal induced during childbirth.
All this could improve the postnatal development of the newborn during the first days of life. Recall that WHO indicates in its Guide on normal birth that the cord should not be clamped if there are no very clear medical reasons and this is indicated by different studies.
Despite this, not enough time is expected to cut the cord. That is why we find important studies like this one that remind us that wait two minutes to cut the umbilical cord favors the development of the baby. We hope that the procedure will be included every time in hospital protocols and delivery plans.
