Current Pediatric Research

Delayed cord clamping, the common term used to denote placental-to-new-born transfusion at birth, is a practice now endorsed by the

major governing bodies affiliated with maternal-new-born care. Despite considerable evidence, delayed cord clamping, not early cord

clamping, continues to be viewed as the “experimental” intervention category when discussed in research studies. We provide a brief

overview of placental-to-new-born transfusion in relation to birth transitional physiology and discuss areas where we may need to modify

our interpretation of “normal” vital signs and laboratory values as delayed cord clamping becomes standardized. We also assert that delayed

cord clamping should now be viewed as the standard of care approach, especially given that multiple randomized controlled trials have

revealed that early cord clamping, which lacks evidence-based support, is associated with a greater risk for morbidity and mortality than

delayed cord clamping.