Effects of Placental Transfusion on Early Brain Development

Judith Mercer of the University of Rhode Island in the U.S. will conduct a randomized study to test whether delaying umbilical cord cutting after birth by as little as five minutes allows the placenta to transfer iron-rich blood cells to the newborn, reducing iron deficiency and anemia in the first year of life and promoting myelination of the brain to aid neurodevelopment.