Delayed cord clamping??? Yes or no?

[candiceandsesame]

Hi I've recently heard about delayed cord clamping and it sounds like the best thing to do. The evidence is very good as well, so why doesn't my hospital do it as standard like other ones??

Any one else had it and was your hospital happy to do it?

[cheekymonkey3791]

Dr Fluffy is your girl on this one

[DrFluffy]

They should, if not you can ask for it. I'd decided I wanted it before the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists made it their official advice in the summer...

[DrFluffy]

rcog.org.uk/news/rcog-state...

[candiceandsesame in reply to DrFluffy]

Thanks Dr Fluffy, I know that Addenbrookes in Cambridge is now doing it as part of the usual care. But my local hospital has not yet introduced it as standard care.

I think I'll be requesting this on my birth plan. Haven't got anything else on there yet and I kinda felt a birth plan was a mad idea as surely the birth will just be what it will be. But at least it gives me the opportunity to request something like this.

Thanks. Hope you and your little one are doing well x

[DrFluffy in reply to candiceandsesame]

Given I was induced early, I didn't have many free choices though, to be fair, my birth plan only had two things on it: early skin to skin and DCC. X

[candiceandsesame in reply to DrFluffy]

I thought skin to skin was a given. But I suppose the birth plan can make sure it happens providing you have a normal labour/birth but you never know whats gonna happen.

Did you get your two birth plan requests? ?

[DrFluffy in reply to candiceandsesame]

Not always - especially in emergency c-section. So long as neither of our life's were at risk, I wanted it at all other costs. X

[DrFluffy]

And yes, got both - which was nice given how traumatic my labour was!

[candiceandsesame in reply to DrFluffy]

Oh i didnt realise it was so tough for you. I bet when you look at your little one it makes it all worth it though

And its good to know even if things get difficult the birth plan can still work

[DrFluffy in reply to candiceandsesame]

Went down to labour ward at lunchtime on the Friday, back up to postnatal ward lunchtime on the following Monday!

[candiceandsesame in reply to DrFluffy]

Eek that's not a lovely quick labour. My sis was 3 days for both of hers. She had very bad hyperemesis and was just too exhausted at the end and do needed assistance.

I bet you were shattered at the end of that

[DrFluffy in reply to candiceandsesame]

The last 20h were the worse, as was constantly on the brink of being taken to theatre, so was NBM - at no notice so hadn't eaten for 6 hours before this.

Gas and Air is amazing stuff though

[candiceandsesame in reply to DrFluffy]

Oh my god thats tough. I am totally rubbish with no food, very very cranky. 26 hrs with no food and I think my husband would leave the room. lol x

Maybe I could put on my birth plan -must have food every 2-3hrs

[Coeny-em in reply to DrFluffy]

Flipping hell-I hope you get the biggest bunch of flowers next Mothers' day!

[Hidden]

I really wanted this! Discussed with mw and she said its standard in my hospital now (Sheffield) not all hospitals are the same though so if you ask they should do it! Unfortunately, I was rushed to theatre for emergency forceps delivery,then the cord snapped and the placenta retained so was not possible for us this time! :o(

[Little_dudes_mum]

At calderdale they left the cord until it stopped pulsing with me, quite a weird feeling cuddling baby and still having cord too

[Hidden]

Definitely request it. I wrote birth preferences, rather than a birth plan having done a hypnobirthing course, that's what that recommends, so if you don't get everything you want you don't feel let down. I had to be cut, so was told we couldn't do delayed clamping as I could lose too much blood. Sounded sensible to be so went with it.

Where do you live candiceandsesame? We're moving to Little Paxton sometime in the next month, so need to find out about hospitals in the area. Although as long as I stay low risk, I'd like to have a home birth, no travelling, feeling safe in my own environment...

[moy-doula]

Yes! :0) As you say the research overwhelmingly supports the benefits for baby, & a drained placenta is much easier for you to birth than one still full of baby's blood. However if you have your labour 'augmented' with syntocinon (synthetic oxytocin to increase contractions) you will be classified as increased risk of postpartum haemorrhage (measured as a blood loss of more than 500mls-the equivalent of that given as a blood doner) as this will interfere with your own natural hormonal response to labour-reducing your own oxytocin & endorphins. If this happens you can insist that they do not routinely clamp the cord or administer the injection of syntocinon/syntometrine* (or increase the drip feeding the syntocinon) until there is a proven need- or at the very least 5 mins after baby is born (research suggests most of baby's blood is transferred within the first 3 minutes - although if the cord is still pulsating surely it's still cycling between baby and placenta?) *Syntometrine is a combination of syntocinon & ergometrine-and is associated with raised blood pressure, headache, vomiting & increases your risk of postpartum eclampsia.

In the meantime eat well ensuring your Hb & clotting factors are good & healthy to reduce your risk of bleeding & bear in mind that the more natural you can labour the less risk there is for a cascade of interventions. Wishing you all the very best. x

[mrsturner17]

I was told its ur choice, most hospitals just clamp it at standard time but I know they can't deny you if u ask for delayed clamping, we were advised this in antenatal classes x

[Lisadawn]

I cant claim to be a expert on this but I recently spoke to someone who had read alot about this and decided to ask for it. Apparently, they received too much haemoglobin and the baby became seriously ill so no I wouldn't choose this.

[DrFluffy in reply to Lisadawn]

Really? Or a tall story? There is a risk of jaundice, but iron overload??? There's not enough iron in cord blood for that... Not without an underlying maternal problem like haemochromatosis or polycythemia...

[dons88 in reply to Lisadawn]

This sounds like advice I would take with a large pinch of salt... I've done a fair amount of research myself from what I would consider accredited sources and have never come across a case like this - plus it's now standard practice at my birthing centre and fully endorsed by my midwife who offered no similar warning. Did the mother have any underlying health issue, like Dr Fluffy has mentioned? I'm curious as this is the first negative feedback I've really come across, from a medical point of view anyway... X

[DrFluffy in reply to dons88]

There would be a (?theoretical) risk of hyperviscosity from increased circulating volume, but it's small print compared to jaundice, which is the main 'complication'...

[dons88 in reply to DrFluffy]

Actually, a small chance of jaundice does ring a bell. Hadn't ever come across the excess haemoglobin before though, it's always interesting to hear different experiences, especially of 'new' techniques. Positives of DCC still far outweigh negatives for me though, hopefully I'll be able to do it this time! X

[cheekymonkey3791]

Have to say I love it when Dr Fluffy brings out the big guns of medical terminology

[DrFluffy in reply to cheekymonkey3791]

:-&

Sorry - hyperviscosity just means very thick!