Delayed cord clamping has proven to have many benefits in both full term and preterm babies. The first and foremost thing that comes to mind is that 30% of your baby's blood supply is still in the placenta directly after birth. Now I'm no medical professional but for me, that significant amount of blood was enough to know that I wanted my child to get it back into their little bodies before we did anything else. It is also known to help prevent iron deficiencies through the first few months of life, lessen the chances of hemorrhage in baby and a need for a transfusion. Baby's cardiovascular system is also impacted in a positive way as the extra blood is needed for when baby takes it's first breath. According to research, a newborn's likely hood of mortality drops by 30%. In some cases they stated it would help by 69% and other research shows it can make a difference by up to 91%!!! That's a pretty big deal but it doesn't stop there. The benefits of DCC reaches further than just your child's birthday! This simple action adds benefits that can last a lifetime, many of which are noted within the first year. Babies that were able to stay on the placenta longer have higher brain development and better neurological outcomes. This benefit is notated in 12 month old babies through 4 years old. It has also been known to assist in developing important motor skills. Now these are just a few examples of the benefits that come from delayed cord clamping. There are so many more and I wouldn't be surprised if more were being discovered every day.

Now with all of those life changing facts, why is it that in the united States, this isn't a standard practice? Outdated practices? Uneducated providers? Quick turn around times? Honestly there is a wide open space for you to fill in with your imagination and questions but the only way to change this starts with us as mother's. Of course, make the choice that you find best but if delayed cord clamping is it, you have to not only advocate for yourself but be able to stand strong through the pressure and heat of labor! These providers work for you and unless there is a real emergency, you get to be in control of your choices. I was so scared and exhausted with my first child that I allowed my OB to bully me and literally toss my birth plan to the side. She really did this... without reading it... while laughing. 0/10 do not recommend. When my son was born, she used the cord being wrapped around his neck as an excuse to cut it right away against my wishes. With my last two children, I hired a midwife who ended becoming such an important part of my life and what I do. She informed me that in most cases a cord around a baby's neck is not a cause for concern and not an emergency. In fact it occurs in 10-30% of all births and is fairly common. He just needed to be unwrapped or flipped around. I experienced this again with my last child and it was a simple fix with a provider that knew what she was doing. Although DCC is technically classified in many medical settings as waiting 2-3 min, I went into labor sure that 5 minutes was the magical number. After my daughter was born, I learned that the cord actually keeps pulsating until its done doing its job. How cool is that? An entire organ that you grew to discard just keeps working freely while it's laying beside you or in a bowl. I am a firm believer in the fact that the body knows what it's doing! In fact, I just attended a birth where the placenta stayed attached to momma and kept pumping for over 2 hours! I had never seen that. It's absolutely incredible.

As you can see, delaying cord clamping on your baby may not be the best choice for everybody but it does come with countless benefits. With more mamas advocating for themselves and making their medical team respect their wishes, the birth world has slowly started to shift and recognize these benefits. Hopefully some day it will just be common and standard practice! I highly recommend diving deep into the research and finding this information for yourself. I know you have a million other things to learn about like pain management and birthing positions and breastfeeding vs formula feeding and circumcision AND what you can and can't eat while growing a baby but I promise you, this is one that the benefits can last a lifetime! There are even studies that show even a short 1 minute delay has its advantages. You will be amazed at how the placenta works especially now knowing why. If you can, you should try to hold the cord to feel the pulsating. It really is such an incredible and beautiful thing! Congrats on your newest addition and best wishes on your journey of endless research, trying to be the best mom you can be and being yelled at over picking the wrong cup color! It's all worth it, I promise!

Now here are a few pictures of belly buttons, umbilical cords, cord cutting and placentas. often they are wisped away and we never get to actually see how beautiful they are soo0o here ya go! Hopefully you're not squeamish lol