Wait a few minutes before you cut the umblical cord, experts suggest

Dec 12, 2008

Waiting a few minutes to clamp the umblical cord after the baby is born could boost iron stores in the newborn’s blood, a new study has revealed.

Waiting a few minutes to clamp the umblical cord after the baby is born could boost iron stores in the newborn’s blood, a new study has revealed.

Scientists at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia say that delaying the clamping till the cord stops pulsating - a sign that blood is no longer flowing from the mother’s placenta, allows for an additional infusion of blood from the mother to child. The baby gets larger stores of iron in its blood.

The amount of iron in the blood at birth can influence health, particulary an infant’s risk of anemia in the first months of life.

The research findings were published in the issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of medical research reviews.

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