Mounting evidence suggest that clamping the cord within seconds of the baby's arrival deprives it of vital blood from the placenta - which can lead to iron deficiency and anaemia in later life.
Medical bodies, senior doctors and the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) want maternity staff to instead leave the umbilical cord untouched for anything from 30 seconds to whenever it stops pulsating naturally - usually within two to five minute.
They believe that infant may be a risk of becoming anaemic by being denied the chance to receive as much as a third of their blood volume from the placenta through the cord.
Anaemia - a disorder which means you have a less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood - can later be associated with brain development and can affect cognitive ability.
It is estimated that around 10 per cent of toddler in the UK are iron-deficient.
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