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Dutch nationwide clinical study on the benefits of physiological-based cord clamping
Don't cut the umbilical cord too soon: waiting a few minutes has health benefits for newborn babies. The World Health Organization therefore recommends to wait with clamping and cutting the umbilical cord for 60-180 seconds after birth for healthy babies.
Unfortunately, this is not yet the case for about 1 in 10 babies who need support to start breathing. In order to do this, doctors cut the umbilical cord quite soon after birth to bring the baby to a resuscitation table, which means that these, often more fragile babies, do not benefit from the possible advantages of delaying cord clamping.
Doctors from all 9 Dutch Neonatology Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are jointly researching the effects of a new way of working, where care can be provided, close to the mother, with the umbilical cord still connected.
