Delaying cutting of umbilical cord by 2 minutes good for newborns

Washington: Scientists have claimed that delay in cutting of the umbilical cord by 2 minutes makes newborns develop better in their first days of their lives.

A study conducted by University of Granada scientists and the San Cecilio Clinical Hospital (Granada), found that the late clamping of the umbilical cord increases the anti-oxidant capacity of mature newborns, and the moderation of inflammatory effects in the case of those born from induced labour.

This multidisciplinary work reveals that the time in cutting the umbilical cord (also called umbilical cord clampling) influences the resistance to oxidative stress in newborns.

According to the PI in this project, University of Granada professor Julio Jose Ochoa Herrera, umbilical cord clamping is one of the most frequent surgical interventions practiced upon humans, and they have had proof of such practice for centuries. However, the right timing for clamping was controversial, and it involved important differences both for the mother and for the newborn.

This research led by the University of Granada compares for the first time the impact of the moment of clamping upon the oxidative stress and the inflammatory signal produced during delivery in both the mother and the newborn.

The study is published in the prestigious journal Pediatrics.