Premature Clamping of the Umbilical Cord may Result in Brain Damage to Newborns

A major error in modern obstetrical practice is routine premature clamping of the umbilical cord. Thousands of obstetricians have been taught that immediate cord clamping is an acceptable, standard obstetrical procedure, and millions of newborns have been subjected to it. Cerebral palsy (CP), along with other injuries, can result from premature cord clamping.

A task force of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a report on Neonatal Encephalopathy and Cerebral Palsy; the chairman states: "Scientific evidence shows that neonatal encephalopathy and cerebral palsy are largely not caused by labor and delivery events." The president of ACOG says the report is useful for educating doctors, parents and jurors and that "adverse outcome has nothing to do with medical negligence or error." The report offers doctors legal care; for patients, there is little hope, the causes of brain damage are "unpreventable."

In relation to the report, the January 2003 "Obstetrics & Gynecology" ("Green Journal") published a "knowledge survey" of OB’s [1] on the etiology and pathophysiology of neonatal encephalopathy and its relationship to CP. "Don’t know" was the most frequent response to the multiple-choice questions. The task force chairman also admits that the "true genesis ... of these injuries" has not yet been defined; he also states "most cases of CP are the result of multi-factorial and unpreventable causes that occur either during fetal development or in the newborn after delivery." In fact, the true genesis of these injuries is clearly illustrated in the correct answers to his questions:

Read more : mercola.com

Image credit to : embryology.med.unsw.edu.au