Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Mike Procter. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Imagine a baby boy. Let’s call him Manuel. Manuel is born in a poor area of Mexico. He is his parent’s third [3rd] child. Manuel’s mother has been tired a lot during her pregnancy. But she has been working hard to prepare for her new baby.
Imagine that Manuel is born three [3] weeks early. He is a little small. But, he seems healthy. A few months after birth, Manuel’s parents observe that he does not cry very often. He seems tired a lot and he rarely moves. His parents know that something must be wrong. But, they do not know what it is.
Manuel’s situation is common all around the world. In fact, up to half [1/2] of all children and pregnant women in developing countries will suffer in a similar way. They do not have enough iron in their diets.
Voice 2
This particular condition is called Iron Deficiency Anaemia. Iron Deficiency Anaemia is not always life-threatening. But, if people do not treat it, it can become very dangerous. You may have heard a Spotlight program about anaemia before. In that program we told about the effects lack of iron can have on a person’s body.
Voice 1
Lack of iron may make a person feel tired and weak. His skin may look lighter than normal. Or he may have trouble breathing. Lack of iron damages a person’s immune system. This is the system inside a person’s body that protects him from sickness. Lack of iron can affect the brain too. A child who lacks iron in his diet may not have a correctly developed brain. The effects can influence a child through his whole life.
Voice 2
Anaemia in children and babies is a cause for concern. And often treatment can cost a lot of money. It can require special vitamins or medicines, or even surgery on the baby. But treatment for anaemia can begin even at the baby’s birth. There may be a way for a newborn baby to avoid becoming anaemic. It is low cost. And it is very easy. In fact, it is as simple as waiting two [2] minutes.
Voice 1
During pregnancy, a mother’s body provides everything a new baby will need. Her blood contains the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, or healthy substances, for her baby. The baby receives these substances through a temporary organ called the placenta.
Voice 2
The placenta surrounds the forming baby. It connects to the wall of the mother’s uterus. The baby and mother are separated by a very thin membrane - a wall of particular cells. This membrane has very small holes in it. The holes let the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients through to the placenta. These nutrients are the baby’s food.
Voice 1
Extending out from the placenta is a thick group of blood vessels and other strong tissue. It looks like a rope. This is the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord connects the forming baby to the placenta and his mother. There are one or two major veins inside this cord. They carry the blood full of nutrients from the placenta to the baby. The umbilical cord supplies these nutrients until the baby is born.
Voice 2
Normally, when a baby is born doctors place a clamp, a holding device, on the umbilical cord. This stops the flow of blood from the placenta to the baby. Then, they cut the thick cord. They clamp and cut the umbilical cord very quickly - usually between ten [10] to twenty [20] seconds after the baby is born.
Voice 1
Recently, a group of doctors in Mexico and the United States studied a group of three hundred and fifty eight [358] mothers and their newborn babies. They wanted to research the effects of delaying the cord clamping procedure especially in healthy full-term newborns. They wanted to see if delaying cord clamping would affect the babies’ stores of iron. They hoped it would increase the amount of iron in the babies’ bodies.
Voice 2
The doctors divided the mothers and babies into two [2] groups. For one [1] group, they clamped and cut the umbilical cords about ten [10] seconds after the baby was born - like normal. For the other group, the doctors waited two minutes after birth before clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. When the cord remains attached for more time, the extra blood from the placenta can continue to flow through the umbilical cord. This blood contains many nutrients helpful to the baby. The blood also contains iron. A larger supply of iron can help a baby to avoid anaemia.
Voice 1
Every two [2] months, the doctors collected information about the health of the babies - what they ate, how much they grew, and if they got sick. They also measured the amount of iron the babies had in their bodies. Doctor Kathryn Dewey helped to lead the research. She said the results were very encouraging.
Voice 3
“The results show that the two minute delay in cord clamping increased the child’s iron supply by twenty seven [27] to forty seven [47] milligrams of iron. This is the same as one [1] to two [2] months of newborn iron requirements. This could help prevent iron deficiency from developing before six [6] months of age ... After that, babies can have food that has more iron in it.”
Voice 2
Doctors have known about some positive results of delayed cord clamping for over thirty [30] years. They knew that the baby received more blood the longer he was attached to the umbilical cord. But the effects have not been proven until now.
Voice 1
The research showed that this small change in the process of birth had lasting results. And doctors could even see the results six [6] months later! Anaemia is common in every part of the world. But it is especially common in developing countries. Many people living in these areas are not able to pay for treatments for anaemia. So this simple, painless, and low-cost process is very helpful. Doctor Dewey says:
Voice 3
“By simply delaying cord clamping for this short time, we can provide the newborn with the extra blood, and the iron it contains, from the placenta. This is an efficient, low-cost way to intervene at birth without harm to the newborn or the mother.”
Voice 2
Delayed cord clamping is one way to help keep a newborn from becoming anaemic. But babies also need to continue getting iron as they grow. Feeding a baby breast milk is one good way to make sure she gets the nutrients she needs.
Voice 1
The next step for Doctor Dewey and her research team is to spread information. They hope to tell other doctors about the encouraging results of delayed cord clamping. And they hope to increase the use of this method in different parts of the world.
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