Post by raphael on Dec 2, 2010 11:35:34 GMT -5
Makes me wonder if this is why there's many people roaming around with half a brain...........
In U.S. hospitals, the clamping and cutting of the umbilical cord is typically performed within 30 seconds of birth, sometimes sooner. This is done because immediate cord clamping is generally believed to reduce the mother's risk of excess bleeding and the baby's risk of jaundice … but this practice may actually be detrimental to the baby's health.
When a baby is born it must transfer from receiving oxygen from the placenta to receiving oxygen from its lungs. For this to happen, the baby's lungs must first expand, and the burst of blood from the umbilical cord helps to get the newborn's lungs to expand properly.
Without the burst of blood from the placenta, the infant suffers a drop in blood pressure as its lungs fail to open as they should, creating a chain reaction of effects that can include brain damage and lung damage. Immediate cord clamping can cause hypotension, hypovolemia (decreased blood volume) and infant anemia, resulting in cognitive deficits.
Some have even theorized that the rise in autism could be linked at least in part to premature cord clamping.
World Health Organization, Extensive Research Supports Delayed Cord Clamping
In the United States there is absolutely no consensus about the optimal time to clamp the umbilical cord after birth, yet research is increasingly revealing that clamping the umbilical cord prematurely, before two or even three full minutes have elapsed, robs your baby of much-needed blood and oxygen.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) policy supports delayed cord clamping, stating:
"The optimal time to clamp the umbilical cord for all infants regardless of gestational age or fetal weight is when the circulation in the cord has ceased, and the cord is flat and pulseless (approximately 3 minutes or more after birth)."
They continue:
"Clamping the umbilical cord immediately (within the first 10 to 15 seconds after delivery) prevents the newborn from receiving adequate blood volume and consequently sufficient iron stores.
Immediate cord clamping has been shown to increase the incidence of iron deficiency and anemia during the first half of infancy, with lower birth weight infants and infants born to iron-deficient mothers being at particular risk …
Waiting to clamp the umbilical cord allows a physiological transfer of placental blood to the infant which provides sufficient iron reserves for the first 6 to 8 months of life, preventing or delaying the development of iron deficiency …
For premature and low birth weight infants, immediate cord clamping can also increase the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage and late-onset sepsis.13 In addition, immediate cord clamping in these infants increases the need for blood transfusions for anemia and low blood pressure."
Numerous research studies and experts are also confirming that waiting to clamp the cord offers significant benefits. Among them:
Andrew Weeks, senior lecturer in obstetrics, advises it's "better not to rush" umbilical cord clamping after birth.
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/02/obstetricians-immediate-cord-clamping-routine.aspx
When a baby is born it must transfer from receiving oxygen from the placenta to receiving oxygen from its lungs. For this to happen, the baby's lungs must first expand, and the burst of blood from the umbilical cord helps to get the newborn's lungs to expand properly.
Without the burst of blood from the placenta, the infant suffers a drop in blood pressure as its lungs fail to open as they should, creating a chain reaction of effects that can include brain damage and lung damage. Immediate cord clamping can cause hypotension, hypovolemia (decreased blood volume) and infant anemia, resulting in cognitive deficits.
Some have even theorized that the rise in autism could be linked at least in part to premature cord clamping.
World Health Organization, Extensive Research Supports Delayed Cord Clamping
In the United States there is absolutely no consensus about the optimal time to clamp the umbilical cord after birth, yet research is increasingly revealing that clamping the umbilical cord prematurely, before two or even three full minutes have elapsed, robs your baby of much-needed blood and oxygen.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) policy supports delayed cord clamping, stating:
"The optimal time to clamp the umbilical cord for all infants regardless of gestational age or fetal weight is when the circulation in the cord has ceased, and the cord is flat and pulseless (approximately 3 minutes or more after birth)."
They continue:
"Clamping the umbilical cord immediately (within the first 10 to 15 seconds after delivery) prevents the newborn from receiving adequate blood volume and consequently sufficient iron stores.
Immediate cord clamping has been shown to increase the incidence of iron deficiency and anemia during the first half of infancy, with lower birth weight infants and infants born to iron-deficient mothers being at particular risk …
Waiting to clamp the umbilical cord allows a physiological transfer of placental blood to the infant which provides sufficient iron reserves for the first 6 to 8 months of life, preventing or delaying the development of iron deficiency …
For premature and low birth weight infants, immediate cord clamping can also increase the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage and late-onset sepsis.13 In addition, immediate cord clamping in these infants increases the need for blood transfusions for anemia and low blood pressure."
Numerous research studies and experts are also confirming that waiting to clamp the cord offers significant benefits. Among them:
Andrew Weeks, senior lecturer in obstetrics, advises it's "better not to rush" umbilical cord clamping after birth.
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/02/obstetricians-immediate-cord-clamping-routine.aspx