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Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to the wonderful moms everywhere! It’s not an easy job, but it’s the most important and rewarding job you’ll ever have! Enjoy these special quotes about mothers from QuoteGarden. Woman in the home has not yet lost her dignity, in spite of Mother’s Day, with its offensive implication that our love needs… [Continue Reading]

Dear TIME: Are you LAME enough?

The new TIME cover, featuring a beautiful blond woman standing upright and breastfeeding her almost-4-year-old son, is creating waves already. Personally, I’m tired of the whole conversation already. And not interested in reading the actual article. And a great fan of Dr. Sears and attachment parenting, for the record. What I did enjoy, however, are… [Continue Reading]

Eating Salmon is Good for Pregnant Women & their Babies

A healthy diet is important for everyone, but even more crucial during pregnancy. Fish is a great choice, and here’s another good reason to add it to your menu: Eating two servings of salmon a week during pregnancy is beneficial both for the mother and child, according to University of Granada researchers (Medical News Today).… [Continue Reading]

Photo Books: The Books Your Baby Will Love Forever

From when I was a kid until now, one of my favorite activities is looking through old family photo albums. Seeing the familiar faces of family and friends, remembering the good times we shared, and laughing over the silly photos we couldn’t bear to throw away (remember a time before digital cameras?!)… it’s a surefire… [Continue Reading]

Maternity Fashions for Spring Under $30!

The Dangers of Immediate Cord Clamping

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In many hospitals, the umbilical cord is routinely cut and clamped just seconds after the baby is born. But could this carefree clamping be causing damage to your newborn baby? Research today is increasingly revealing that clamping the umbilical cord prematurely robs your baby of much-needed blood and oxygen.

In the womb, a baby’s lungs are filled with fluid, and it receives oxygen through the umbilical cord. When the infant is born, the placenta and cord continue to pulse, delivering a burst of blood volume to the infant’s system. This blood is needed to help the the lungs of the newborn to expand.  According to this startling article, Are Doctors Causing Infant Brain Damage by Clamping the Umbilical Cord Prematurely?—


Without the burst of blood from the placenta, the infant suffers a drop in blood pressure as its lungs fail to open as they should, creating a chain reaction of effects that can include brain damage and lung damage. Immediate cord clamping can cause hypotension, hypovolemia and infant anemia, resulting in cognitive deficits. Some have even theorized that the rise in autism could be linked at least in part to early cord clamping.

Image of umbilical cord at birth

image from Mayo Clinic

Interestingly, the umbilical cord, if left intact, actually “clamps” itself in as little as five minutes. Wikipedia explains that shortly after birth, the reduction in temperature starts a physiological process which causes the Wharton’s jelly (that’s what the cord is made of) to swell and collapse the blood vessels within. This, in effect, creates a natural clamp, halting the flow of blood.

According to Dr. Mercola, the time between between birth and natural clamping, allows blood to flow from the placenta through the baby’s lungs. The natural process protects the baby’s brain by providing a continuous oxygen supply until the lungs are functioning well. While most full-term babies have enough blood to establish lung function and prevent brain damage, the early clamping can still leave them weak, pale, and gasping for air. For premature babies, the process can be even more devastating.

Immediate cord clamping could possibly be linked to:

  • Brain hemorrhage
  • Respiratory distress
  • Autism
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Anemia
  • Brain injury
  • Learning disorders
  • Behavioral disorders

On the flip side, G. M. Morley asserts that “the child which is delivered without the use of a cord clamp receives a full placental transfusion with enough iron to prevent anemia for the firs year of life… this is only a reflection of how much of the infant’s blood volume was left clamped in its placenta. ” (Read more here.)

Today there is no consensus about the optimal time to clamp the umbilical cord after birth. But I think it’s interesting to note the observations of Erasmus Darwin (Charles Darwin’s grandfather) from 200 years ago:

“Another thing very injurious to the child, is the tying and cutting of the navel string too soon; which should always be left till the child has not only repeatedly breathed but till all pulsation in the cord ceases.

As otherwise the child is much weaker than it ought to be, a portion of the blood being left in the placenta, which ought to have been in the child.”

Moving forward, this 1963 Time article suggests that there are sound reasons for a slowdown in cutting the umbilical cord. It is based on a study by a group of pediatricians from the University of California:

The California pediatricians base their theory on a study of 129 infants. Among 41 whose umbilical cords were clamped before they took their second breath, 21 showed moderate to severe respiratory distress. In another group of 52 infants whose umbilicals had been clamped some time after the second breath, only six suffered the same symptoms. The condition of the infants who retained their umbilical cords longest was by far the best.

Given the overwhelming research about the potential harms of early cord clamping, both the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) have dropped the practice from their guidelines. (Mercola) But it is still widely done in the United States and other developed countries, which I find hard to understand.

The last few weeks of pregnancy: Critical to your baby’s health

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The last few weeks of pregnancy are critical, according to Greater Fort Wayne Family.

A couple friends of mine have recently had babies that are premature. They’re small and seem particularly feeble and helpless. One is being kept in an incubator to prevent hypothermia. I know it’s got to be hard not to be able to hold your baby, keep him near, and feed him yourself. But babies who are born early could have more serious issues to contend with.

In the U.S., more than half a million babies are born too soon each year, and the rate of premature birth has increased almost 20 percent since 1990. Late preterm babies, which account for more than 70 percent of all preterm births, have a greater risk of breathing problems, feeding difficulties, temperature instability (hypothermia), jaundice, delayed brain development and death than babies born at term.  New analysis shows that these late preterm infants also have three times the risk of cerebral palsy and a slightly higher risk of mental retardation.

Researchers from the March of Dimes, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Columbia University and the Harvard School of Public Health found that babies born just a few weeks prematurely are more than three times as likely to have cerebral palsy than full-term infants. They also found a higher risk of developmental delays in preterm infants, (those born 34-36 weeks gestation).

Even more surprising, the earlier an infant was born, the higher the risk of some neuro-developmental problems. For example, infants born between 30 and 33 weeks gestation were nearly eight times as likely as full-term infants to have cerebral palsy.

“The significantly higher rates of cerebral palsy and developmental delays for late preterm babies were surprising,” said Joann Petrini, PhD, director of the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center and lead author of the study. “Our research adds to the growing body of evidence showing that being born just a few weeks too soon can have lasting consequences that can no longer be described as temporary or benign. These findings reinforce the March of Dimes message that a few extra weeks of pregnancy can have a beneficial effect on an infant’s health.”

“Since brain development continues through the first year, these findings suggest that some late preterm infants may benefit from neurological assessments by their pediatricians to determine whether there is a need for specialized services,” said Gabriel Escobar, MD, of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. and a co-author of the study. “Future research should focus on how at-risk late preterm infants can be identified sooner, as neurological screening of all late preterm infants is not feasible.”

The obvious question is, therefor, what can be done to prevent preterm labor? Preterm labor and delivery can happen to any pregnant woman, even if she does everything she can to have a healthy pregnancy. Here is advice from March of Dimes on how to reduce the risks.

  • Get prenatal care as soon as you think you’re pregnant and go to every appointment. Go even if you feel fine. If possible, see your health care provider before you get pregnant.
  • If you smoke, stop smoking. It’s best to stop before you get pregnant. If you can’t stop, try to cut down. Avoid secondhand smoke.
  • Don’t drink alcohol.
  • Talk to your health care provider about prescription medications you are taking.
  • If you use drugs or herbal remedies or supplements that are not prescribed by your health care provider, stop using them. It’s best to stop before you get pregnant.
  • Try to reduce stress. Ask friends and family for help. Rest and relax whenever you can.
  • If you’re in an abusive relationship, talk to someone. Abuse often gets worse during pregnancy. Do what you need to do to protect yourself and your baby.
  • If you feel burning or pain when you urinate, you may have an infection. Call your health care provider.
  • Know the signs of preterm labor and what to do if you have any of them. To learn more, see the video Take Action: Learn the Signs of Preterm Labor.

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