Evaluation of Placental Transfusion Techniques in Prevention of Prematurity Related Complications and Effect on Their Hematological Profile

Umbilical cord milking will be performed by holding the newborn at or ∼20 cm below the level of the placenta. The cord will be pinched between 2 fingers as close to the placenta as possible and milked toward the infant over a 2-second duration. The cord will then be released and allowed to refill with blood for a brief 1- to 2-second pause between each milking motion. This will be repeated for 2-4 times. After completion, the cord will be clamped, and the neonate will be handed to the resuscitation team.

Another technique, used more often in Asia, involves clamping and cutting a long segment of the umbilical cord immediately at birth and passing the baby and the long cord to the pediatric provider, called C-UCM untwists the cord and milks the entire contents into the baby. Milking the cord 2-3 times before clamping may produce a similar placental transfusion as C-UCM