Delaying umbilical cord clamping for two minutes cuts deaths in premature babies, studies show

Waiting for two minutes or longer to clamp the umbilical cord reduces the risk of a premature baby dying soon after birth and should become routine practice, say researchers following the results of two comprehensive studies.

Deferring clamping the umbilical cord allows blood to flow from the placenta to the baby and is thought to ease the transition into breathing. A delay of at least 60 seconds is already recommended for babies born at full term as it has been shown to improve haemoglobin and haematocrit levels and to reduce the risk of iron deficiency. But it has not been clear whether the strategy is also beneficial for babies born before 37 weeks of gestation.

Every year more than 13 million infants worldwide are born prematurely and of these nearly 1 million die. …