[Waiting with cord clamping: not only placental transfusion, also physiological benefit]

Waiting with cord clamping after birth has been shown to be beneficial for term and preterm infants without increasing the risk for postpartum maternal hemorrhage. While the benefits have been attributed to the placental transfusion that can take place, there is probably another, perhaps even larger, physiological benefit. Waiting with cord clamping until the lungs of the infant have been aerated and pulmonary blood flow has increased leads to a more gentle and stable hemodynamic transition. This raises the question whether the moment of clamping should be defined by a fixed time point or by the moment the infant is ready for clamping, and this can vary.