postnatal transfusion. She also cited and summarized several research
articles that predated hers by more than 50 years (Kostlin 1898), Hofmeier
1878). Her work was cited and confirmed by Gunther (1957).
blood-flow - a piece of soft rubber tubing with a clamp that could be removed
after obtaining an initial weight of the infant. She noted that a large amount
of placental blood can be transferred in the first 20 to 30 seconds after birth.
This observation may be the basis others have used in assuming that a 20 to
30 second delay in cord clamping is sufficient to allow a full (or nearly full)
placental transfusion - a one size fits all mentality.
gender of the infant, initial birth weight, and weight fluctuations at 1-minute
intervals up to 34 minutes. Uterine contractions and time of cessation of
pulsation in the umbilical cord were noted within the 1-minute interval that
they occurred. The end-weight, amount gained, and residual blood left in
the placenta are also shown, with remarks on the length and appearance of
the umbilical cord, if it were around the neck, and breathing or crying
behavior of the child.
three sections, which are reproduced below. Most important perhaps is
illustration of the variable time span for continuing pulsation of the cord
(Nabelschnur), designated by N (and highlighted by me). The W designates
Wehe (uterine contractions), showing their association with additional gains
in weight, which diminish after pulsations of the cord cease - pulsations of
the cord, from the infant heart, are the primary signal for continuing need of
placental circulation.
infants. For two more, pulsations stopped within two minutes. After that
pulsations continued for ten, twelve, fifteen, nineteen, twenty-two, and
twenty-five minutes after birth. Why should placental circulation be
arbitrarily cut off within 30 seconds for those infants who require up to 30
minutes continuing connection with their mother?
course of placental transfusion during the first eleven minutes after birth.
twelve through twenty-nine.
patient having a final uterine contraction after 30 minutes. The final
birthweight, total weight-gain (in grams) from placental transfusion, residual
blood in cubic centimeters (cc) left in the placenta, and observations of the
infant, umbilical cord, breathing, and crying.
Haselhorst and Allmeling, which are in German, so take me a little longer
to summarize). Below the first two paragraphs of Allmeling's paper are
reproduced. I might try putting this and other difficult to obtain papers
online in their entirety.
sprepu