Birth
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Comparative Study Observational Study
An observational study of umbilical cord clamping practices of maternity care providers in a tertiary care center.
Severing the umbilical cord at birth is likely the oldest intervention, the timing of which remains fraught with controversy. Emerging evidence suggests benefit in delaying cord clamping for both term and preterm infants. The objective of this study was to investigate actual cord clamping time and circumstances at a large tertiary care center in Canada. ⋯ In our sample taken in 2006 to 2007, most infants had umbilical cords clamped immediately after the birth, with more than one-half clamped within 15 seconds of birth. Since the time of our study, delayed umbilical cord clamping for the healthy term newborn has become a part of recommended management of third stage of labor and resuscitation guidelines. It would be informative to repeat a study like this one to determine compliance with the current standards of care.