(note immediate umbilical clamping is more harmful to boys than girls.
interestingly, both SIDS and autism are more common in boys. -rw)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060406/hl_nm/cord_clamping_dc_1

 Delayed cord clamping helps tiny babies

By Clementine WallaceThu Apr 6, 3:41 PM ET

Waiting 30 to 45 seconds before clamping the umbilical cord of very
low birth weight infants -- those weighing less than 1500 grams --
seems to protect them against bleeding in the brain and the development
of blood infections later on, researchers report.

The strategy seems to benefit boys especially.

"While countries in Europe tend to wait before clamping these
children's umbilical cord, the current practice in the United States
is to clamp it immediately after delivery," Judith Mercer told
Reuters Health. "There hasn't been a lot of research done in this
country on delayed cord clamping, and most studies were limited by
small samples."

Evidence is accumulating to suggest that, for very low birth weight
infants, delaying cord clamping and lowering the newborn below the
mother's level significantly increase the amount of blood flowing
from the placenta to the newborn, according to Mercer, from the
University of Rhode Island in Kingston.

In their article in the medical journal Pediatrics, she and her
colleagues note that waiting 30 to 45 seconds results in an 8 percent
to 24 percent increase in the baby's blood volume.

"Immediate cord clamping may deprive these infants of essential
blood volume, which might result in hypotension (low blood pressure)
and in a poor perfusion of the tissues," Mercer explained.

Her group's study involved 72 pregnant women who gave birth to
infants before the 32nd week of gestation. The women underwent
either immediate cord clamping at 5 to 10 seconds after the birth,
or delayed cord clamping 30 to 45 seconds after delivery.

The researchers saw differences between the two groups in rates of
brain bleeds in the babies, and in their risk of late-onset sepsis.

These differences were significant from a statistical standpoint
in male infants, but not in females. Specifically, 2 of the 23 male
infants in the delayed-clamping group had intraventricular hemorrhage
compared to 8 of the 19 in the immediate-clamping group. No case
of sepsis occurred among the first group, whereas 6 cases occurred
among the others.

The researchers say the strategy is a simple way to improve outcomes
of very preterm infants.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, April 2006.