Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Umbilical Cord Should Not Be Cut for 3 Minutes, Study Says

Newborn babies are less likely to develop an iron deficiency if the umbilical cord is kept in place for three minutes at birth, Swedish scientists claimed.

Researchers from Umea University in Sweden tested 400 babies -- some who had their umbilical cords clamped after at least three minutes and others who had them clamped less than 10 seconds after delivery.

The babies whose umbilical clamping was delayed benefited from higher iron levels at four months.

For every 20 babies whose cords are clamped three minutes or more after birth, one case of iron deficiency would be prevented. There also were fewer cases of neonatal anemia in those with delayed clamping.

There were no adverse health effects from delayed clamping, according to the findings, published in the British Medical Journal.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/16/umbilical-cord-should-not-be-cut-for-3-minutes-study-says/#ixzz1dtuDuIdK

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