29.03.2024

The cord must not be cut immediately

Professor Debra A. Erickson-Owens explains that a five-minute delay in cutting the umbilical cord is important for early brain development. In this case, up to 50% of his own blood, which is rich in iron, is returned to the circulatory system of the child.

Iron is also needed for the production of myelin in the brain, and therefore its presence in the body is especially important.

A study from the University of Rhode Island suggests that late cutting of the umbilical cord is good for the baby. Not so long ago it was believed that there was no difference when to cut it, in the future there were recommendations to wait at least 15-20 seconds. Now, experts say that you need to wait about five minutes. It is, they say, healthy newborns.

The study started in October 2012 and 73 newborns took part in it. Scientists watched the children from birth – at four months of age, everyone underwent an MRI procedure. In addition, each measured the level of iron in the blood, including the concentration of ferritin – a protein that is important for the synthesis of myelin.

Professor Erickson-Owens is trying to change the global practice and invites obstetricians to listen to her point of view, confirmed by research. She explains that the newborns whose umbilical cord was pulsed did indeed have more myelin in the brain – this was confirmed by MRI.

For the first time in the world, two women bore the same child

Ashley and Bliss Coulter, a North Texas couple, were the first women to take turns bearing the same child. The child of this couple was conceived through in vitro fertilization.

The women said that at first they planned that the eggs taken from Ashley, fertilized with the help of donor sperm, would carry Bliss, however, reproductologists offered them a different approach, making it possible for every woman to experience pregnancy.

To do this, they used a special INVOcell device – a capsule, inside of which, along with donor sperm, the Bliss egg was placed. After that, the device was fixed on the cervix of a woman for several days, until an embryo was formed. After that, the device was removed, and the fetus was transferred to Ashley’s uterus. This procedure was approved in the United States in 2015. This approach, as a result, led to the birth of a healthy baby and allowed each of the mothers to feel what women feel during pregnancy.

Ashley and Bliss note that such an IVF option cost almost 2 times less than the traditional approach. They also hope that their experience will be useful for other same-sex couples.

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