After delivery of the firstborn, one clamp is placed near the neonate, and another is placed nearer the placenta. Until the last fetus is delivered, each cord must remain clamped to prevent fetal hypovolemia and anemia caused by blood leaving the placenta via anastomoses and then through an unclamped cord. Cord blood is generally not collected until after delivery of all fetuses. After the second neonate is delivered, two plastic clamps are placed on the placenta’s cord to differentiate it from the first. In higher-order deliveries, color-tagged or alphabetically labeled clamps can be simpler than adding additional clamps. This same practice holds for cesarean delivery. At this time, evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against delayed umbilical cord clamping in multifetal gestations (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2020a).
After delivery of the firstborn, one clamp is placed near the neonate, and another is placed nearer the placenta. Until the last fetus is delivered, each cord must remain clamped to prevent fetal hypovolemia and anemia caused by blood leaving the placenta via anastomoses and then through an unclamped cord. Cord blood is generally not collected until after delivery of all fetuses. After the second neonate is delivered, two plastic clamps are placed on the placenta’s cord to differentiate it from the first. In higher-order deliveries, color-tagged or alphabetically labeled clamps can be simpler than adding additional clamps. This same practice holds for cesarean delivery. At this time, evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against delayed umbilical cord clamping in multifetal gestations (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2020a).