Can you do Delayed cord clamping with twins?
Matthew Wilson
Updated on May 04, 2026
A 2018 study looking at 449 women having multiples found no negative effects of delayed cord clamping for multiple births. This suggests delayed clamping poses no increased risk if you’re having twins. Two studies, one from 2015 and one from 2018 , found delayed clamping to be safe and beneficial for preterm twins.
What does delayed cord clamping mean?
Delayed cord clamping means that doctors don’t immediately clamp and cut the umbilical cord. Instead, they allow extra time for the blood in the cord and placenta to flow to the baby. Eventually, the placenta, also known as afterbirth, detaches from the uterus and is also delivered.
What are the advantages of delayed cord clamping?
Delayed umbilical cord clamping is associated with significant neonatal benefits in preterm infants, including improved transitional circulation, better establishment of red blood cell volume, decreased need for blood transfusion, and lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and intraventricular hemorrhage.
What are the benefits of delayed cord clamping?
Can delayed cord clamping cause jaundice?
When cord clamping is delayed, there is a slightly higher risk the baby will develop jaundice. This can happen because the overall amount of blood products are increased through the placenta supply, elevating bilirubin, and could potentially overwhelm the liver.
Can a baby feel the umbilical cord being cut?
There are no nerve endings in your baby’s cord, so it doesn’t hurt when it is cut. What’s left attached to your baby is called the umbilical stump, and it will soon fall off to reveal an adorable belly button.
What is delayed cord clamping and how does it work?
What Is Delayed Cord Clamping? Delayed cord clamping is the prolongation of the time between the delivery of a newborn and the clamping of the umbilical cord. Delayed umbilical cord clamping is usually performed 25 seconds to 5 minutes after giving birth.
Is delayed cord clamping safe if you have twins?
A 2018 study looking at 449 women having multiples found no negative effects of delayed cord clamping for multiple births. This suggests delayed clamping poses no increased risk if you’re having twins. , found delayed clamping to be safe and beneficial for preterm twins.
Should umbilical cord clamping be delayed for preterm infants?
Recommendations for the optimal timing of umbilical cord clamping apply equally to preterm and term births. The guideline development group considered the benefits of delayed cord clamping for preterm infants to be particularly important.
Is cord milking the same as cord clamping?
The terms are not necessarily synonymous (milking refers to physically expressing blood from the umbilical cord). There are various recent studies assessing the effect of cord milking, practised at different times after birth, with a variety of “milking” times, associated with early or delayed cord clamping.