There are a lot of jokes made about parents who can’t seem to “cut the cord” with their children and ever let them go. Now new research says they might have the right idea —

at least in the birthing room. A report in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine suggests that newborns may benefit if doctors wait a little longer before cutting the umbilical cord — at least until the cord stops pulsing. Lead researcher Paul Sanberg of the University of South Florida says, “It only takes a few minutes.” When the practice of immediate cord clamping first began about a half century ago, the value of cord blood, especially its stem cells , which can develop into a suite of other cells, was not known. But now we know that stem cells have many therapeutic properties. Sanberg said, “It is nature’s first stem cell transplant.” After reviewing the majority of research in the field, Sanberg and his colleagues concluded that delaying cord clamping could reduce the infant’s risk of many illnesses, including respiratory distress, chronic lung disease, brain hemorrhages, anemia, sepsis and eye disease. So not so fast Doc — let me enjoy my cord for a few minutes! (MSNBC)