Delayed cord clamping

Dana&Pete · March 2012

For those of you who are doing this, how long are you waiting? I definitely don't want the cord clamped immediately, but am wondering how many minutes it should pulse, or if it should stop pulsing completely.

TrendyTina · March 2012

It's best if you can wait until the cord stops pulsating. That can take 5-20 minutes. I'll be waiting until then.

mkflower3000 · March 2012

As PP said, whoever is assisting you (MW or OB) should be able to notice when it stops pulsating. It's also supposed to start changing in color at that point. From what I've read it usually takes about 5-10 minutes, but once the pulsating stops you can usually clamp it no problem.

Harper'smom · March 2012

My MWs suggest slightly delaying clamping but not waiting too long. They seem to think it leads to more cases of jaundice. If I choose to do it they want to be sure i nurse the baby by the window for a certain amount of time per day. I'm glad I saw this thread because I've been meaning to research this since they brought it up.

tokenhoser · March 2012

I believe my birth plan said "at least 2 minutes". It was probably a bit longer than that, but because of the weird position I delivered in, I couldn't hold the baby until the cord was cut... so I'm glad I didn't wait half an hour.

meltoine · March 2012

We waited until it stopped pulsing completely. It took 10 or 12 minutes. By the end I could tell my OB was getting impatient, but she waited anyway.

Tash13 · March 2012

We plan on waiting for the cord to stop pulsing. We're planning a home birth so we'll have all the time in the world to let it do it's thing.

mrsbhk22 · March 2012

3-5 minutes. The studies I've read says that gives the greatest benefits without "potential" downfalls.

pinksweetpea2 · March 2012

We waited for it to stop pulsing with both kids. DD #1 didn't have any jaundice and DD #2 only had a little bit that was gone 24 hours after my milk came in.

StefandTodd · March 2012

We asked for them to wait until it stopped pulsing (pulsating?). The MW showed me, "See? It has stopped pulsing, is it okay if we cut it now?"

ETA: No jaundice issues here. I did read prior to his birth that this was a possibility, but that the benefits outweigh the risks.

ABeautifulMind · March 2012

Tash13:
We plan on waiting for the cord to stop pulsing. We're planning a home birth so we'll have all the time in the world to let it do it's thing.

Ditto.

Lina1030 · March 2012

I would not do more than 3 min. My plan is 2-3 min. You still get the benefits without potential added risks.

flyer23 · March 2012

I honestly don't know how long it was. I know DS's cord wasn't cut till nearly an hour after the birth. It may have been clamped sooner. No jaundice issues.

Delayed cord cutting/clamping is standard with my midwife, so i just follow her recommendations.

carlinlp · March 2012

ABeautifulMind:
Tash13:
We plan on waiting for the cord to stop pulsing. We're planning a home birth so we'll have all the time in the world to let it do it's thing.
Ditto.

This. I've seen cords pulse as long as 40 minutes after traumatic births. I think this happens for reasons we don't yet fully understand. The body is amazing.

cyclek8bride · March 2012

DS was born with the cord not pulsing so we clamped and cut it right away. I was in second stage labor for 3.5 hours, clearly, toward the end there were things going on I am pleased my doctor didn't tell me about at the time.

stahlop · March 2012

We waited until I delivered the placenta, but that was within about 5-10 minutes. My MW said once the placenta was delivered there was no need to keep the cord attached.

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