In the first minute after birth, blood is still flowing from the placenta to your baby through the umbilical cord. Waiting a short time before clamping the cord lets more of that blood reach your baby, and with it, more iron.

The short version

  • What it is: waiting at least 30 to 60 seconds after birth before clamping the umbilical cord.
  • What ACOG recommends: delayed clamping for healthy, vigorous babies, both full-term and preterm, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
  • The iron benefit: full-term babies have higher hemoglobin at birth and better iron stores for the first several months.
  • The trade-off: a small increase in newborn jaundice that needs light treatment.
  • It doesn’t increase bleeding for you, and it usually fits with skin-to-skin contact.
  • Ask about it before you deliver, and add it to your birth plan.

What delayed cord clamping is

After your baby is born, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. With immediate clamping, that happens within seconds. With delayed clamping, the care team waits at least 30 to 60 seconds first, so blood from the placenta keeps flowing to your baby.

In its 2020 committee opinion, ACOG recommends delaying cord clamping for at least 30 to 60 seconds in vigorous full-term and preterm babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ newborn resuscitation guidelines make a similar recommendation. ACOG notes that how it’s done can vary between hospitals and birth settings, and that decisions are best made by the team caring for you and your baby.

For babies born early who don’t need immediate help breathing, ACOG has since updated its guidance to suggest waiting at least 60 seconds.

The benefits

For full-term babies, delayed clamping raises hemoglobin levels at birth and improves iron stores for the first several months of life, which may help development, according to ACOG. That matters because babies born at full term rely mostly on the iron they’re born with for their first 4 to 6 months, according to the NIH. Iron deficiency in infancy is linked to problems with attention and development, some of which may not be reversible.

For preterm babies, ACOG lists better blood circulation in the first minutes of life, more red blood cells, less need for blood transfusions, and lower rates of two serious complications: necrotizing enterocolitis, a dangerous bowel condition, and bleeding in the brain.

For you, delayed clamping was not linked to more bleeding after delivery, lower hemoglobin afterward, or a greater need for a blood transfusion, according to ACOG.

The trade-off, and when it may not happen

Jaundice. Full-term babies who have delayed clamping have a small increase in jaundice that needs treatment with special lights (phototherapy), according to ACOG. ACOG advises hospitals that use delayed clamping to have ways to monitor for and treat newborn jaundice.

When the cord may be clamped right away. Delayed clamping isn’t right in every birth. ACOG says that heavy bleeding or unstable blood pressure in the mother, or a baby who needs immediate help breathing, are reasons to clamp the cord without waiting. Problems with the placenta can also change the plan. In these cases, your care team will focus on getting you and your baby safe first.

Skin-to-skin contact. In most cases, delayed clamping doesn’t get in the way of early newborn care, such as drying your baby and placing them on your chest.

Adding it to your birth plan

Because practice varies between hospitals and birth centers, ask ahead of time rather than in the delivery room.

Questions to ask your doctor or midwife

  1. Do you routinely delay cord clamping here? For how long?
  2. Does that change for a cesarean birth?
  3. If my baby is born early, what’s your approach?
  4. How do you check newborns for jaundice?
  5. If I’m planning to bank or donate cord blood, how does that fit with delayed clamping?

What to do now

  • Add “delayed cord clamping, at least 30 to 60 seconds, if baby and I are stable” to your birth plan.
  • Ask your provider the questions above at an upcoming visit.
  • Keep taking your prenatal vitamin with iron; your own iron levels matter for your baby too. See Iron in Pregnancy.

Related reading

Sources

Updated October 2026. This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your health care provider.