About Amanda Burleigh

Introduction

Welcome to this website “WaitforWhite”.

My name is Amanda Burleigh, I am a qualified Midwife and Registered Nurse with over 30 years as a clinical Midwife.

I started campaigning for optimal cord clamping in 2005, I had been qualified as a Midwife for 16 years, After considerable reflection and researching of evidence and speaking to primary school teachers who concurred that increasing numbers of children appeared to be suffering educational. behavioral and health problems. I reflected on our practice as clinicians and discovered that the routine practice of immediate (early/premature) cord clamping carried out after baby’s birth but generally before the baby had taken it’s first breath was an intervention in natural physiology which had no evidence to support it. There was no evidence to say this was safe for baby and on the contrary the research I found showed that it was known that early clamping deprived the baby of 30% of their blood volume and could cause harm. The effects of early clamping on premature babies were thought to be ore harmful but studies showing this had been ignored.

Since my light bulb moment in 2005 I have been committed to changing practice in the UK and around the world and I will continue until the practice of early clamping stops.

“Waitforwhite” describes a cord which has been left to complete its physiological function.

This website has been designed to consolidate the evidence and showcase the research and work of the many members who are striving hard to make our babies the healthiest they can be and turn the tide of poor non evidence based practice which is still prevalent around the world.

Most importantly this page is to inform parents of tomorrow of best practice so they can demand the best for their children as they are the most important change agents. Currently practice around timing of cord clamping can be a lottery and parents need to be informed of the research and the long term effects of immediate, early and premature clamping so that they can request the best for their baby.

We are also on 2nd and 3rd generation immediate clamping and have no understanding of the accumulative effect of babies losing over a million stem cells per generation.

Talks

Born Conference Canterbury University 11th May 2019

Cords, Clamps, Conversations and Cuddles April 2019 Exeter University

University of Cumbria September 2018 – Midwifery consultant Amanda Burleigh Optimal Cord Clamping / Intact Cord Resuscitation

Virtual Day of the Midwife 2018 – https://vidm.org/amanda-burleigh/

Salford University – Transforming Birth -March 2018

Bullying and Humanity – Listening Spaces to Support Midwives Gold Midwifery March 2018

In Awe of Birth Conference 2017 – London 04/03/2017 Manchester 01/04/2017 Orgainsed by KGHynobirthing

Articles

AIMS Delaying the clampers – https://www.aims.org.uk/journal/item/delaying-the-clampers

Hutchon, D, J, R., Aladangady, N., Burleigh, A. (2010) Umbilical cord clamping is not a physiological necessity. British Journal of Midwifery 18(4) · April 2010

Weeks, AD., Watt, P., Yoxall, CW., et al. 2015., BMJ Innov ;1:53–58 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4467574/

Innovation in immediate neonatal care: development of the Bedside Assessment, Stabilisation and Initial Cardiorespiratory Support (BASICS) Trolley – https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nctu/documents/preterm-birth/basics-development-report-29april2014.pdf

Membership Matters – https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/members/membership-news/membershipmatters_v2i1.pdf

Podcasts

Why we need to wait for white Alexia Leachman – https://www.fearfreechildbirth.com/blog/cord-clamping-why-we-need-to-wait-for-white-with-amanda-burleigh/

Mums the Word Amanda Burleigh: Optimal Cord Clamping and its Amazing Benefits Feb 2016

Videos and presentations

January 2019 – #Wait for White/Optimal Cord Clamping – Whose blood is it anyway? – https://vimeo.com/315497654

November 2017 -Birth Forward – https://www.birthforward.com/live/video/amanda-burleigh-optimal-cord-clamping/

June 2017 – The challenges of optimal/delayed cord clamping for every baby – https://vimeo.com/223759536

May 2017 http://www.maternityandmidwifery.co.uk/importance-optimaldelayed-cord-clamping-every-baby-amanda-jayne-burleigh-independent-midwife/1012/

April 2017 – The importance of optimal/delayed cord clamping for every baby ://vimeo.com/211952694

May 2018 –

Films