Valuable umbilical cord left intact using Concord Birth Trolley

St. Antonius Hospital leads the way with newborn care table

St. Antonius Hospital now waits longer before cutting the umbilical cord for premature babies or babies with a difficult start than before. The Concord Birth Trolley has recently made it possible at St. Antonius Hospital to leave the cord intact longer. The umbilical cord is of great value to babies in the first minutes after birth, especially in this group of children. St. Antonius Birth Care now has the special care tables in both the operating room and the delivery rooms where extra vulnerable newborns can receive all care right next to the delivery bed. Previously, a newborn in need of extra care was cared for on a table a little further away from the mother and the umbilical cord therefore had to be cut immediately after birth.

Extra blood
Scientific research has shown that not cutting the umbilical cord immediately has several benefits for the newborn. Most importantly, the mother continues to supply the baby with oxygen-rich blood through the umbilical cord when the baby's own breathing and circulation has yet to get going. This ensures that the newborn's heart rate and blood pressure remain more stable. In addition, the newborn then receives additional blood from the placenta containing extra iron and stem cells. In premature babies, it has been shown that they need blood transfusions less often in this case and fewer complications such as brain haemorrhages occur. There is also evidence of better long-term neurological development. For the mother, it means that her baby is not taken away from her directly but that the care takes place right next to her, with the umbilical cord still intact.

Appreciation umbilical cord
Mirjam Kleinhout, paediatrician-neonatologist and together with gynaecologist Jeske Kooijman initiator, says about the first experiences with the Concord: "It is very nice to support a child in this way during birth. We are around the mother with the whole team, parents can even help with stimulation. The child makes a much calmer transition from inside to outside the womb, close to the parents. This fits with our vision, a better start for every child with innovative methods. We have come to appreciate the umbilical cord more again." "Moreover, it is nice to be able to apply physiological principles in a medical setting," Kooijman adds.

Parents
The parents of a recently premature baby are enthusiastic about the Concord: "We had prepared for a situation where they would take our son away immediately after birth, but because of this table, that didn't happen! He was stimulated and helped to start breathing on the umbilical cord right next to us. And when things went well, he was allowed to lie directly with us from the table. We were able to experience everything so much closer because of this, and felt so connected."

Family Centered Care
The use of the Concord fits into the principle of Family Centered Care that St. Antonius Birth Care employs. One of the characteristics of Family Centered Care is that mother and child are not separated after delivery (even if one of the two needs extra care). Mother and child stay together with the partner in a suite from birth to discharge, even if the baby is premature or needs extra medical attention. Caregivers come to help parents in the room, instead of parents visiting their child in the incubator ward. The incubator ward is a thing of the past.

First hospital
St. Antonius Birth Care uses the Concord Birth Trolley from Concord Neonatal for this new procedure, developed over 3.5 years ago at the LUMC and based on the work of paediatrician-neonatologist Prof. Arjan te Pas and his team. This makes St. Antonius Hospital the first general hospital with this facility in Europe and it has as many as three. The trolley consists of a heated platform on a wheeled trolley that can be wheeled right next to the delivery bed and possibly the operating table, containing all the necessary equipment needed to support newborns if needed.

Parent-child bonding
"Research has already shown the benefits of the Concord for the baby. In my experience, it also has many benefits for parent-child bonding. Parents are present and involved in the care of their child and that is a nice step towards Family Centered Integrated Care," says Laura van der Neut, neonatology nursing specialist.