
A century ago, doctors clamped baby’s umbilical cord immediately after birth to prevent jaundice and to reduce the chances of mother having uncontrolled bleeding. But now, science supports a different approach.
Delaying the clamping of the cord for a few minutes after birth gives infants a small transfusion of their own blood which is helpful in terms of improving the iron content.
It’s known that cutting the cord within 10 seconds of delivery is related to iron deficiency in babies which is associated with poor behavior, motor skills and intellectual development in boys.
Studies proved that, at age 4, boys whose cords were clamped later, showed higher scores on social and personal care skills as well as fine-motor development than other boys. The benefits of the delay are clear.
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