In "Sans Rendez-vous," Mathilde, a listener, wonders if it is necessary to immediately cut the umbilical cord of a newborn baby after childbirth.
For the pediatrician Arnault Pfersdoff, it is necessary to wait between one and three minutes, because this allows in particular a better hemoglobin level in the baby's blood.
It is a very symbolic act that occurs in the wake of childbirth: clamping the umbilical cord.
In "Sans Rendez-vous", Mathilde, a Norman listener who listened to the program devoted to newborns last November, wonders why the pediatrician Arnault Pfersdoff had indicated then that the cord should not be cut immediately after the arrival to a child's world.
"We are waiting for the first cry to take place, and for the child to have his lungs unfolded, so that his respiratory system is competent to absorb and inhale oxygen", answers the specialist at the microphone of Europe 1 .
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Many benefits
It is only then that the pediatrician decides to clamp the umbilical cord.
"Sometimes we wait one, two or even three minutes ... it depends on the delivery," he explains.
In the case of a complicated delivery, "where the child has a little trouble starting, we will wait before cutting the cord so that more red blood cells pass from the placenta to the child and that he starts well. "
In addition, the specialized site santelog.com specifies that this practice also increases the iron level in the blood of newborns, reducing the risk of deficiency for 6 months.
The birth weight is also estimated to be higher.
"Late clamping" is also recommended by the WHO, "unless the newborn suffocates and must be transported to intensive care".