Cord Milking Best for Preterm C-Section Infants, Improves Blood Flow

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, cord milking was associated with improved blood circulation and pressure in preterm infants delivered by Cesarean section. 

The research, published online in Pediatrics, was supported by the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). 

When it comes to delivery, standard practice calls for a 45 to 60 second delay before health care professionals clamp and cut the umbilical cord. However, in the new research, according to the Institute's release, cord milking, which involves encircling the cord with thumb and forefingers, gently squeezing, and slowly pushing the blood through the cord to the infant's abdomen, offers additional benefits. 

Some of these advantages, seen only in infants delivered by C-Section, include greater blood flow to and from the heart, higher red blood cell level. On the other hand, for children delivered through vaginal births, there was no difference in blood volume.  

The delay in umbilical cord clamping has been found to aid in ensuring blood from from the umbilical cord to fill the blood vessels in the lungs of the infant. 

Back in 2012, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended the half-to-full minute delay in cord clamping. Specifically among preterm infants, the delay in clamping may contribute to a decreased risk in intraventricular hemorrhage, or bleeding in the infant's ventricles. "The hemorrhage is thought to result from low blood pressure, brought on by having too little blood in the circulatory system. Bleeding in the brain may result in developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and in severe cases, death," wrote the publication. 

Discussing the findings, Tonse Raju, M.D., chief of NICHD's Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch said, "The study results are very encouraging." They continued, "The findings need to be confirmed in a larger number of births, but at this point, it appears that umbilical cord milking may prove to be of great benefit to preterm infants delivered via cesarean."

Relatedly, Medical New Today reported earlier that a study suggested delaying the clamping of the umbilical cord during birth may improve a child's long-term developmental prospects that could result in enhanced motor and social skills in some children. 

However, the doctor adds that there is still a need to confirm the findings using a larger population or number of births.