There's something many hospitals do in the first 30 seconds after birth that could be stealing a third of your baby's blood.

And most moms have no idea it's even happening.

Hey Mama.

I'm Trish Ware or Labor Nurse Mama, and I was in the delivery room for 16 years and I need to talk to you about the one decision that can change your babies first year of life.

And this is.

Scientifically proven.

So by the end of this episode, you are going to know exactly what to say to protect your baby's blood and why.

Not all, but some doctors rush through this moment.

But the latest 2025 research proves this is so stinking important.

So if you're pregnant or you're planning to be, you need to hear this.

Okay, I am sitting here with my, my fuzzy blanket and my comfy chair, but we are gonna be talking about the umbilical cord.

And I know, I know like you probably hear a lot of talk about this, but I want you to really understand that this is your baby's literal lifeline for nine months.

For 40 plus weeks.

This cord connects your baby to the placenta through three vessels, two arteries that carry waste away, and one vein that brings oxygen rich blood and nutrients to your baby.

Everything your baby needs flows through that cord.

Can I just do like a little intermission here.

'cause y'all know I am like brutally honest.

I went to my nurse practitioner last week and she did what is called a lip flip.

I can't talk right now, like I'm having a hard time like, okay, you know your girl is crunchy with a side of medical why went with this lip flip and I'm having a hard time saying words.

So bear with me during this episode.

All right, going back.

Two arteries, take the blood waste away, and one vein that brings in the oxygen rich blood and all the nutrients that your little baby bean needs to grow.

Everything your baby needs flows through that cord, but what a lot of.

Women don't understand and what they don't talk about in the hospital tour that even though your hospital and your provider's like, yeah, we do that, it's routine here.

Sometimes it's too soon.

So we're gonna talk about that because when your baby is born, about one third of their total blood volume is still inside the placenta.

And if the doctor clamps and cuts the cord.

Too soon.

Not just immediately, but too soon like they've always done.

We're leaving a third of your baby's blood behind and that does not make sense.

Think about that for a second.

Would you voluntarily give up a third of your blood volume right after running a marathon?

Well, your little sweet baby bean, your little moon pie just went through a marathon.

By the way, that's what I'm calling my daughter's baby, who is growing inside of her right now, and she doesn't like it, but I like it.

But.

It won't be a nickname when the baby's born, but nobody wants that for their baby, right?

We don't want them to leave behind their blood.

So why are we still budging around with this?

Because a lot of hospitals, yes, it is policy.

But they're still clamping it too soon.

And the truth of the matter is that baby's just been placed on you and you're not paying a hundred percent attention.

And of course, your, your partner wants to be right there where the baby's at.

So we wanna talk about delayed cord clamping and why it's so important.

It's not just some crunchy mom thing, it's something that is so important.

So acog, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Recommends delaying cord clamping for at least 30 to 60 seconds for most healthy newborns.

The World Health Organization who says to wait one to three minutes unless there's a medical emergency.

So that is the recommendations now that is mainstream medical.

Recommendations and hospitals around the country are making it standard practice and midwives are sitting back going, saying, you know, told you so for decades.

And that is why we're gonna talk about it because I want you guys to understand that is not just something you say yes or no to, or you insist on, you need to know why.

Why?

The main reason we wait before clamping and cutting the umbilical cord is because of the benefits for this baby.

So instead of clamping immediately, what I recommend, because it's one telltale way to see, is that you let.

All the blood go through until the cord is done, pulsating, which can take anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes, but visually you can see that the cord goes white that allows that rich oxygenated blood to flow from the placenta to your baby.

That's it.

That's the whole kit and caboodle.

That's what you need to do.

But let's you know, obviously we're gonna talk about the benefits.

Holy smokes.

They are enormous.

The benefits are enormous to both you and to your baby.

So that's what I really want to break it down for you.

I want you to understand why it's so important and why this is one of those first moments of advocating for your baby.

Because when you delay the clamping.

The baby gets higher iron levels and less anemia.

Babies who receive their full blood volume from the placenta have significantly higher iron stores, and that lowers the risk of anemia through the first year of life.

Let that land iron is what fuels your baby's brain development, their attention span and their energy.

studies show that delaying cord clamping is linked to improved motor skills and social development later in childhood.

This is like scientifically proven.

It also.

Number two, the second benefit is better circulation and oxygenation.

That extra blood volume helps your baby transition from living in this aquatic womb world.

To our world where they have to use their lungs and their heart, and their brain when they're taking those first few breaths.

The third reason is more stem cells.

Placental blood is packed with stem cells that help repair tissue, build immunity and protect against future illnesses.

Like this is like one of the most important decisions you can make right away in your baby's life because.

They, these stem cells are like tiny little superheroes, and you want your baby to have all of their superheroes, period.

The fourth reason is improved clotting and immunity.

Now, babies, when they're born, they don't have the same clotting factors that we have, but more blood equals more.

Better clotting factors and immune support.

You're literally giving your baby a stronger start, so you might see a note in your birth class or paperwork about a slight increase in risk of jaundice.

I hear this all the time, but my doctor said that this will increase the risk of jaundice, but the benefits still far outweigh the risk.

And jaundice is easily managed.

With increased fluids and phototherapy if needed.

So why wouldn't you delay the cord clamping?

Now we're gonna talk about some objections and special case reasons because I know that some of you guys are thinking, what if this?

What if that?

What about C-sections?

What if I'm cord banking?

So let's start with C-section.

The evidence still supports delayed cord clamping during cesareans, and more and more obs are making space for that in the or.

This is so important 'cause your baby still needs those benefits we just talked about.

So if you're having a plan C-section, talk about this ahead of time.

Add it to your birth map so that your team knows it matters to you.

Have a conversation when you get there for your Schedule C-section.

Talk to the the preoperative nurse that you have and talk to your circulating nurse.

Now the other thing we can talk about is cord blood banking, which can be a little tricky because it often requires early collection, but ACOG is clear.

Delayed cord clamping shouldn't be shortened or skipped for the sake of banking, so you won't be able to do it until the cord stops pulsating.

But your baby needs that blood now, not maybe, and not someday.

If we ever use it, and if you do plan to bank, you can usually still delay by 30 to 60 seconds and get enough for collections so you can do both.

The key is planning ahead and having a clear conversation with your provider, with your nurse, so that they know what your plan is now.

The other thing is what if there's an emergency?

If your baby needs resuscitation, obviously that takes priority over cord clamping, but in most cases, even a 32nd delay makes a difference and can be done even if the baby needs resuscitation and studies are starting to show that baby should be resuscitated on top of mom anyway.

But you still get to decide and you should know your options before you step foot.

In the delivery room, that is the most important thing that I can say to you.

The most important thing is knowing your options.

Knowing your what's your why's?

Why refuse?

Why accept, why say yes, why say no?

My final V as your labor nurse bestie.

Is you get to decide what's best for you and your baby, your golden hour, that immediate time, which starts, you know, once the baby's born.

You get to protect.

Protect that hour.

Protect your skin to skin, protect your cord clamping if you walk into your birth educated and confident.

You are able to advocate confidently for what you want.

So think of it like, if you were planning out your wedding, you wouldn't just show up and let someone else make all the decisions.

You want to navigate those decisions hopefully, right?

Same goes for your birth.

You don't need to fight anyone, but you do need to speak up.

And that's one of the things that I feel sets my.

Birth courses apart from others is that I meet with you guys a couple times a month on Zoom so that you can actually walk through those scenarios with me as a 16 year high risk labor nurse, and we can walk through what it feels like for you because it might be easier for Sally to refuse than it is for you.

So, one of the things that I always say is you don't have to overexplain yourself.

You don't need to justify it.

You say it and you zip it.

You get to decide, you get to make the decisions.

That is the most important thing that you can know is you get to decide,

okay, mama, if this episode gave you a few aha moments, make sure you share it with another expecting Mama.

Or let your friends know that they have a choice to make decisions if you.

Are new here.

We are so happy you're here.

We adore each and every one of you and we're so grateful for the time that you put into increasing your knowledge about your birth 'cause it's one of the most important things you can do.

So make sure you hit subscribe, leave a review, and as always, I'll see you again next week.

Bye for now.