Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping (DUCC)
Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping (DUCC) is the prolongation or delay in the time between the delivery of a newborn and the clamping of the umbilical cord. DUCC allows blood to continue to flow to the infant, thereby increasing the infant’s total blood volume. This can be done with both a vaginal and cesarean birth.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has guidelines on the recommendations and we want you to understand these evidence-based guidelines when developing your birth plan.
✔Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping (DUCC) is defined as waiting between 25 seconds and 5 minutes to clamp the umbilical cord after delivery except when immediate umbilical cord clamping is necessary because of neonatal or maternal complications.
Due to the many found benefits it is recommended that a minimum of 30-60 second delay be considered.
✔DUCC has been found to be beneficial both in babies born preterm (24-37 weeks) and full term babies (> 37 weeks)
Benefits of DUCC in full term babies (>37 weeks)
DUCC increases hemoglobin levels at birth and improves iron stores in the first several months of life.
Evidence has shown lower risk of iron deficiency at 3-6 months of age
Benefits of DUCC in Preterm Babies (24-37 weeks)
Delayed umbilical cord clamping is associated with significant neonatal benefits in preterm infants including: improved transitional circulation, better establishment of RBC volume, and decrease need for blood transfusions
DUCC is also associated with lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and intraventricular hemorrhage
Are you pregnant?
If you are currently pregnant and want to receive all of our evidence based birth tips as well as learn more about how to reduce the risk of nerve injuries, orthopedic aches and pains and pelvic floor trauma from pregnancy and delivery check out our class: Click here
Our pregnancy prep course is offered in person and on demand. It is designed for laboring mothers and their birth partners. It has as strong focus on reducing the risk of pelvic floor, orthopedic and nerve birth injuries by:
Teaching women how to relax their pelvic floor muscles for pushing
How to shorten the pushing stage of labor by optimizing babies positioning
How to create more space in the pelvis to promote babies descend
And most importantly how your birth partner can be your continuous labor support to improve your overall birth experience