That really is astonishing. You have to wonder why this wasn’t known before.
Or perhaps it was known and was forgotten?
I had it totally backwards- I thought that was AFTER cutting the cord.
One of my uncles almost died when he was born- he almost bled to death- either they didn’t clamp him right away, or the clamp came off, I don’t remember. Physically, he could do just about anything, but he suffered some brain damage from blood loss. RIP Uncle Sam.
Actually is true in all mammalian species. There is a significant amount of blood in a placenta that belongs to the newborn. Placenta doesn’t empty immediately. Up to two to five minutes depending on how big the newborn is.
Sometimes assistance turns into interference.