Tema-Ghana, Aug. 14, CDA Consult – A Senior Midwife at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) has advised moms to tolerate a delay in the cutting and clamping of their kids’ umbilical cords during birth, which is very helpful to their health.
“Delaying the cutting and clamping of the umbilical cord means that midwives and doctors give some time after birth before cutting and clamping.” “In some hospitals, intentionally delaying cord cutting has become policy,” said Ms. Rosemary Fosuaa, an IMaH senior nurse.
Ms. Fosuaa, supported by Ms. Millicent Asante, also a senior midwife at IMaH, said this at the weekly “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility! A Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy
The Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office developed the public health advocacy platform “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility” to investigate the components of four health communication approaches: informing, instructing, convincing, and promoting.
Ms. Fosuaa, speaking on the theme “Family Planning and Ante-Natal Care,” which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) explained that the chord connects the baby in the stomach to the placenta, allowing oxygen and food nutrients to travel from the mother to the baby during the gestation period.
She went on to say that following delivery, the chord that remained attached to the placenta was generally cut and clamped; she claims that this used to be standard practise when it was cut immediately to disconnect the infant from the placenta.
She, on the other hand, stated that research over the years had revealed that delaying cord cutting was more beneficial than immediate cutting, adding that delaying allows the baby’s body to absorb the rich nutrients and blood that were remaining between the cord and placenta at birth.
According to Ms. Asante, such blood and iron absorption into the baby’s body increases their haemoglobin levels at delivery, which boosts their iron reserve.
This, she continued, aids in the prevention of anaemia in children during their first few months on the planet, adding to their general growth.
“When the cord is delayed,” Ms. Asante emphasised, “it builds the baby’s immune system up so that even if he does not eat well, he will still be strong and not anaemic.”
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency Tema, emphasised the need of the media championing health education to ensure that people are informed about healthy living.
He said consistent public health education has the potential to reduce risky behaviours, alert people to emergency actions, and serve as a means of encouraging people to visit health facilities, whether sick or healthy.
