Texas Three Percenters

I’ll never forget how this doctor kept asking every few minutes if she could clamp our second son’s umbilical cord from the moment he came into this world. Each time, I calmly replied, “No thank you. Not yet.” We ended up waiting about 45 minutes before the cord was finally clamped. My impression at the time was that she was eager to get back to her office and onto her phone, but regardless of the reason, we were committed to making the decision we believed was best for our son. For those who may not know, when a baby is first born, roughly one-third of their blood volume is still in the placenta. Delayed cord clamping allows much of that blood to transfer back to the baby, including valuable: • Stem cells • Iron-rich red blood cells and iron stores • Plasma volume and proteins (albumin, globulins, clotting factors) • White blood cells • Platelets • Immunoglobulins (antibodies) • Progesterone and other hormones • Cytokines, growth factors, and signaling molecules • Warm, oxygenated blood We chose to wait until the cord had finished pulsating before it was clamped because we believed it was the best decision for our son. Parents deserve to know they can ask questions, understand their options, and be involved in decisions surrounding childbirth. Knowledge is power.