Background Our neonatal service is recruiting to the Cord Trial, which is comparing immediate with deferred umbilical cord clamping for very preterm births. For deferred clamping, initial neonatal care is at the mother’s bedside using a standard resuscitaire. This study is assessing acceptability of bedside care to clinicians.

Methods Clinicians providing bedside stabilisation are asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire.

Results Questionnaires were distributed for 9 births and 7 were returned for 6 births: 4 vaginal and 2 caesarean. The gestational age ranged from 25–31 weeks. Deferred cord clamping was performed in 5 births, for one the cord was clamped early due to a short cord and stabilisation provided at the room side. Five infants required respiratory support, 3 intubation and 2 mask ventilation. The neonatal team were asked how bedside care compared to usual room side care. The preliminary results are summarised below.

Conclusions Bedside care using current equipment appears to be feasible for infants undergoing deferred umbilical cord clamping and offers potential improvements in parental experience. Further research into bedside care is warranted.