My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Pregnancy

If you are expecting a baby have you thought about donating the cord rather than throwing it away?

26 replies

RTKangaMummy · 06/01/2017 22:22

This has popped up on my FB newsfeed and I wondered if any of the pregnant ladies on here had thought about donating their umbilical cord to ANTHONY NOLAN to help other children that can be helped with the bone marrow

There are more details on the photo or do a Google search for ANTHONY NOLAN if you think you can help them

I think it would be a lovely thing to do with something that is just thrown away otherwise, don't you?

SmileSmileSmileSmile

If you are expecting a baby have you thought about donating the cord rather than throwing it away?
OP posts:
Report
GinIsIn · 06/01/2017 22:24

I would have happily done this - baby due in the next 4 weeks - but it's only if you give birth in 4 particular hospitals unfortunately.

Report
MrsChrisPratt · 06/01/2017 22:25

Lovely idea but only available at 4 hospitals (1 London, 2 Leicester and 1 Manchester). Unfortunately I'm not giving birth at any of them, otherwise I would.

Report
NerrSnerr · 06/01/2017 22:26
Report
RTKangaMummy · 06/01/2017 22:33

Yes I am sorry about that I should have done more research before I posted BlushBlushBlush

It is a shame that only some places have the facility set up

However I found this information of extra places you can donate

here are some extra places that cord blood can be donated

SmileSmileSmile

OP posts:
Report
Creatureofthenight · 06/01/2017 22:36

Yep I am going to do this. I wonder why so few hospitals offer this? Is it a new thing?

Report
GrumpySausage · 06/01/2017 22:39

I signed up for this as I saw a leaflet about it whilst I was waiting for my scan st the hospital. Filled it in, stuck the sticker on my notes which my midwife saw at all appointments.

Then after having DS the midwife said 'oh we don't do that here'. (Nottingham City)

It's a shame as I really would like to have done it.

Report
RTKangaMummy · 06/01/2017 23:01

Here is the history of the charity Anthony Nolan was born in 1971 and died aged 8 years old SadSadSad

That is a shame that the midwives didn't tell you beforehand, I guess it is because it is a charity and so doesn't have enough money to spread out across the UK, but I guess the more mums to be that ask about it they might realise there is a desire in other areas to organise it

That is brilliant that you are going to be able to donate your cord SmileSmileSmile

OP posts:
Report
PossumInAPearTree · 06/01/2017 23:05

Afaik there's a bit more to it than just bagging the cord up and sending it off.

At the hospital I work at we don't provide the service. Some parents employ a private firm to do it so they bank the cord blood for their own child in case it's needed in the future. The bloke who comes to do it seems to spend about 30 mins in the sluice with the placenta. Not 100% sure what he actually does. But as a midwife on a stretched unit I wouldn't have the time to do it if that's typical rather than this bloke being very slow.

Report
sj257 · 06/01/2017 23:48

I am on the Anthony Nolan register myself, however when I looked into this, it transpires that upto 30% of a baby's blood can be in the cord when born. It's beneficial for your baby to delay cord clamping so that they get all of their blood. Please read up on it before deciding. It isn't a waste product.

Report
GinIsIn · 07/01/2017 04:40

sj257 we did take this into consideration as we wanted to join the register. We can't as we aren't near a hospital that offers it, but I would still be willing to go ahead on that basis - a normal baby can regain that 30% in a few days and the health benefit for them getting the extra blood from the cord, whilst true, isn't massive as they do regain that ground quickly. For a child needing the transplant it could be a matter of living or dying so we would still want to go ahead. For this same reason, we have put in our birth plan that if anything goes wrong we want to donate our baby's organs.

Report
stripeyorangesocks71 · 07/01/2017 05:03

Yes my baby and I donated his cord last week Grin

Report
user1468957349 · 07/01/2017 08:37

Yes we will be. Midwife spoke to us about it at our booking appt and we've had the sticker on our notes ever since. Apparently though it does depend if there's anyone available at the time to take it. Both me and my partner are on the Anthony Nolan register and the work the charity do are amazing x

Report
Whatsername17 · 07/01/2017 08:51

I've filled in the form, but, as some people have already pointed out, they tend to delay cutting the cord now and often baby can absorb everything before hand. This certainly happened with my neice!

Report
Helspopje · 07/01/2017 08:56

White caucasoid patients are very likely to have matches on the normal registries but bme and mixed patients can have a much tougher time getting a good match for transplant so cord banks are (very sensibly imho) focussing their efforts on getting a great service in places where many bme and mixed families deliver their babies. A person who is good at collecting and rapid processing and freezing is critical for a high quality usable end product so it makes sense to focus efforts for that reason too.

Report
Newtssuitcase · 07/01/2017 08:59

We kept DS2's cord blood when he was born. It took minutes. It was a private company though. DH had to telephone when I went into labour and a nurse came out and did it.

Report
usernoidea · 07/01/2017 09:05

Me and a few friends have all donated the cords and we were not at any of these hospitals.......check yours to find out and it needs to be in your notes pre birth for them to remember to do it!

Report
WickedLazy · 07/01/2017 09:23

If I'd known about this, and my local maternity ward could facilitate it, I'd have been happy to donate.

Report
Sierra259 · 07/01/2017 09:29

I donated with my first and had intended to with DC2 but we were redirected to a different hospital for the birth as the planned one was full Confused, and they weren't a centre that did it.

Report
ConvincingLiar · 07/01/2017 09:33

Isn't the private banking super expensive?

Report
Newtssuitcase · 07/01/2017 10:30

convincing Private banking wasn't "cheap" but neither did I regard it as particularly expensive - it was about £1300 for 25 years - £4.50 a month is nothing to us.

We didn't know about it when DS1 was born but have subsequently had his stem cells extracted when he had teeth removed under GA.

So both now have stem cells if they ever should need them (I accept the likelihood is low).

Report
Newtssuitcase · 07/01/2017 10:31

Actually DH has just told me it was £1500 but even so - £5 a month.

Report
ButtfaceMiscreant · 07/01/2017 10:33

I donated DDs (they took the placenta away while I was having a major PPH, then the midwife had to go track it down as they hadn't had the chance to check it was complete), and wanted to donate my DTs but in the 21 months between births they had stopped it at my maternity hospital (a major one so I was surprised they had stopped it there, but never mind).

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Robinkitty · 07/01/2017 10:36

I wanted to do this with dc3 and filled out all the forms and had the sticker on my notes. I gave birth quickly and the cord was just thrown away the midwife mentioned something about it not being suitable but I wonder if she was rushed and didn't bother, I wasn't in a position to push it further but I do wonder what happens.

Report
ConvincingLiar · 07/01/2017 14:58

That's cheaper than I think I've seen advertised.

Report
Newtssuitcase · 07/01/2017 15:46

That's very possible convincing DS2 is now 10 and so I expect prices have changed a bit.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.