Today we are going to comment on a less known aspect of the importance of placental transfusion when waiting to cut the umbilical cord, related to the level at which the baby is situated and gravity
For some time we have been talking about the fact that there are many benefits of late cutting of the umbilical cord when the baby is born, so this practice is part of the recommendations in the first hour of the baby's life.
On the contrary, the insufficient circulating blood volume caused by the early clamping of the umbilical cord can have immediate negative effects, which are more evident in premature infants and in newborns of low birth weight due to their initial lower feto-placental blood volume and its slower cardiorespiratory adaptation.
For this reason it is recommended that the cord be clamped late, although it cannot be done in any way, so we comment on one aspect to consider, related to the position of the baby, so that the transfusion is effective and that medical professionals should know.
In the document entitled "Beyond survival: Comprehensive practices during childbirth care, beneficial for the nutrition and health of mothers and children, "from the Pan American Health Organization (the regional office of the World Health Organization), a section dedicated to recommendations on the umbilical cord cutting is offered.
It emphasizes that The amount of transfusion can be affected by several factors, among them the severity and the level at which the baby is placed with respect to the placenta.
If the newborn is kept significantly below the level of the uterus, the severity seems to accelerate the rate of transfusion, but does not change the total volume of transfused blood.
If the newborn is kept high enough above the level of the mother's uterus (50 to 60 centimeters, as was done in a study), placental transfusion may be decreased, due to the interruption of blood flow through the vein umbilical: blood flow has no strength to go against gravity and ascend so much travel.
Apparently, between 10 centimeters above or below the level of the mother's uterus, the amount and speed of the transfusion is approximately similar. It is estimated that, when the baby is placed at approximately 1 level, complete placental transfusion occurs in three minutes.
In a squatting or semi-incorporated mother, those ten centimeters are enough to keep the baby in the mother's breast during those three minutes, before cutting the umbilical cord.
It is a practice that is not too often followed but that we could see how it is gradually spreading as more is known about the benefits of late cutting of the cord, as well as skin-to-skin contact with the newborn In these first minutes of life.
