Laws on what will happen at birth have changed!

For decades the official birthing process has been to cut the new born babies umbilical cord within seconds of the baby being born, however midwife Amanda Burleigh has finally succeeded in her fight to change these guidelines.

Since the 1950s, the standard for cutting the umbilical cord required that it be cut within seconds of the baby’s birth. This has been considered best practice as it is meant to reduce the risk of the hormonal injection given to the mother to stop hemorrhaging from reaching the baby’s blood stream and causing health issues. However, since the drug has been replaced with a safer alternative, Burleigh has questioned whether or not shutting off the blood supply from the placenta so early was necessary.

After taking it upon herself to carry out some in depth research with the help of some medical experts, she has come to the conclusion that cutting the umbilical cord when it is still visibly pulsating is actually bad for the baby. Amanda has told the Telegraph: ‘I couldn’t sit back and ignore what I had seen when it became visible to me. Because if we see something that’s wrong, we have to change it.’

Amanda has now succeeded in her decade long battle and the new official protocol is for the doctors and midwives should not cut the ambilical cord any earlier than one minute from the birth of the baby. This may not seem like much of an increase in time, but, to a newborn baby, every single second counts.

Amanda added: “I think we’ll look back in years to come and realise that immediate cord clamping was not a good idea. I want to make sure it becomes the norm here but it’s also my job to support my colleagues in other countries. Britain leads the way and others will follow. I’m supporting midwives in Australia, Norway, Sweden, Pakistan, Tunisia, Israel, Turkey and more. What I really want now is global change.” 

CLICK HERE  to read about how the guidlines for drinking alcohol and pregnancy have changed.