Delayed umbilical cord clamping may aid pre-term infantsThe director of URI’s Graduate Program in Nurse Midwifery has been awarded a $392,000 federal grant to examine the effects of delaying umbilical cord clamping on premature babies. Judith Mercer, associate clinical professor of nursing, will study 74 babies, born at 24 to 32 weeks, at Women and Infants Hospital for her three-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health. A typical baby is born at 40 weeks.
The funding is funneled to Mercer through NIH’s Institute for Nursing Research as part of its career development program. Mercer’s mentor is URI Professor of Nursing Margaret McGrath, a national expert on the development of premature infants.
Mercer, who is 61 years old, got a little chuckle out of being awarded career development funding. “I have had many years of administration and teaching and have wanted to do this research for a long time. I am excited about this chance to expand my knowledge and bolster our research program through my close relationship with Dr. McGrath and Women and Infants,” Mercer said.
Mercer, who recently completed a pilot study on 32 pre-term babies at Women and Infants, said there were some positive findings. Half of the babies had routine care, meaning their umbilical cords were clamped immediately after birth, while cord clamping for the remaining babies was delayed 30 to 45 seconds.
“The babies with delayed clamping had higher blood pressure and higher glucose levels,” Mercer said. “Since pre-term babies often have very low blood pressure and glucose levels, these higher levels may indicate a greater level of stability,” she said. “We also found the babies with late clamping had fewer digestive problems. Fewer babies in the delayed group had to go home on oxygen.
“The hypothesis is that delayed clamping allows for more circulating red blood cells. These red blood cells help to carry more oxygen to the brain and other organs, and may aid in stability and development,” Mercer said, noting that such a study may also have implications for babies born at full term. “My clinical experience tells me this (delayed clamping) helps the baby but the subject needs more research to document benefit or harm.”
Now, she wants to test these hypotheses on a larger group starting in April. Women will be asked to enroll themselves and their infants in the study when they are admitted for pre-term labor. She’ll follow the 74 infants for seven months as neurological tests and health assessments are conducted.
Mercer quoted a recent study that found that full-term babies whose clamping has been delayed experience less anemia at three months. No research has indicated that delaying cord clamping is harmful to the baby.
“If a mom were to deliver in a snowstorm, or the back of an ambulance, it’s probably better to place the infant on the mother’s abdomen, cover the baby and not to clamp the cord right away,” said Mercer. “The baby would be perfectly fine as nature took its course, with mom providing natural warmth as the baby begins to live on its own.” By Dave Lavallee
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