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Pregnancy

Umbilical Cord Blood Donation

18 replies

TheChangeSpiral · 20/05/2010 11:59

A friend just forwarded this information to me. Unfortunately I won't be giving birth near any of the registered hospitals but if you are it sounds like a really amazing thing to do.

Umbilical cord blood is particularly valuable for helping individuals with cancer, because it has a higher chance of being useful in treatment than bone-marrow/stem-cells. There is no risk of harm to either the mother or baby by collecting cord blood, which is normally discarded.

If you would like to donate the cord blood from a child you are expecting, first please note the following:

  • You must not be more than 34 weeks into the pregnancy.
  • You must be delivering a single baby
  • It must be an uncomplicated pregnancy.
  • You cannot donate if you have had hepatitis or HIV, or if the mother, the father, or a sibling of the baby has had cancer.

    The UK has an excellent Cord Blood Bank and Database, however, only 6 hospitals in the UK are allowed to publicly collect and store cord blood.

    NHS Hospitals collecting and storing cord blood:
    -Barnet Hospital (Hertfordshire)
    -Northwick Park Hospital (NW London)
    -Luton & Dunstable Hospital (Bedfordshire)
    -Watford General Hospital (Hertfordshire)
    -St Georges Hospital (London)
    www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/cordblood/index.asp

    The Anthony Nolan Trust also operates its own cord blood collection and storage facility at King's College Hospital, London
    www.anthonynolan.org.uk/cordblood/How+to+donate+cord+blood

    www.matchdevan.com/cord-blood-donation
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aswellasyou · 20/05/2010 12:19

I'd been planning on asking my midwife about whether I could do this. Unfortunately, I don't live anywhere near these hospitals either. Their point about being no more than 34 weeks confused me for a minute. That's when they have to have start the blood tests presumably. It's a shame we can't all have the chance to do it seen as it's so easy to do.

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TheChangeSpiral · 31/05/2010 13:01

Bumpity bump!

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japhrimel · 31/05/2010 15:41

Is the 34 weeks when they need to start doing testing? Surely you don't need to have a premie to be able to do this?

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TheChangeSpiral · 31/05/2010 17:16

I think that must be what it means - it's a bit vaguely worded though isn't it?

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aswellasyou · 31/05/2010 17:20

That is what it means. It's explained more clearly on the private bank sites.

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pyrowall · 31/05/2010 17:26

I've just registered my interest in cord blood donation - i'm delivering at Watford General.

Quote from the above link:

Before you have your baby, usually around your 30th week of pregnancy, we will contact you by telephone to explain the donation programme in more detail and ask you some simple lifestyle questions. We will also ask for your verbal consent to collect, test and use your cord blood.
A consent form will then be sent to you to sign and must be placed in your maternity notes, so that it is available when you come into hospital for the birth of your baby.

Hope this helps!

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sunriseanja · 31/05/2010 19:32

Hi all,

I think it is very important to think about the fact that you will be depriving your own baby of its own first stem cell transplant.
Babies are supposed to get this blood themselves.
Lots of information about it in the news this past week too.
Your newborn baby has about 280 mls of blood. 65 mls are still in the placenta at the point of birth and the placenta will continue to pump blood to your baby for the first 5-20 min post birth until the baby has taken all of its blood and all its vital stem cells.

Greetings,

Anja

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belgo · 31/05/2010 19:36

agree with Anja - taking the baby's cord blood could be taking 10-20% of their blood supply.

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LittleSilver · 31/05/2010 19:49

I e-mailed the NBS about this when pg with my 2nd and got an incredibly snotty e-mail back informing me that it wasn't done at my local hospital. OK, fair enough, no need to be rude though.

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4madboys · 31/05/2010 19:52

i agree with belgo and anja, i had a natural delivery of the placenta with my boys and made sure the cord had stopped pulsating etc before clamping it as i wanted the baby to get the blood from the cord and placenta.

it is a lovely idea to help others, but your baby needs that blood

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foxytocin · 31/05/2010 19:56

early cord clamping research

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Wigeon · 31/05/2010 19:59

I did this at the midwife-led centre in Watford General in 2008. I think the 34 week thing is just that they want you to register then, rather than just before you're due to give birth. It's not at all because they only do it on premature babies (my baby was full-term born at 39 weeks).

I give blood usually and I saw this as an extension of giving blood.

On the health issues for your own baby: I am not at all medically qualified, but I just do not believe that the NHS would put the health of newborns at risk so that it could collect cord blood. The NHS cord blood website says that the blood is collected after the placenta is delivered and after the cord is cut. But I'm sure they would be able to answer any questions on this if you were thinking of doing it.

More info and FAQs here.

Pyrowall - good luck with your birth - I had a good experience at the ABC at Watford, and so have several friends (both on the ABC and the consultant-led ward), including two who delivered in their birth pools.

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4madboys · 31/05/2010 20:04

it doesnt put the babies health at risk, but it IS more beneficial for the baby that it gets if full quota of blood!

we routinely clamp and cut the cord very early after birth, yet it is beneficial for the babies to wait a few mins, 5 or so, until the cord stops pulsating.

if you can do that and THEN there is any blood left for collection, fine, but i would not clamp and cut the umbilical cord BEFORE it has stopped pulsating.

i think when my last baby was born it was ten mins or so before they clamped the cord? he was a waterbirth and we were happy snuggling in the pool waiting for the placenta to come out, so there was no need to clamp and cut it.

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chegirlmonkeybutt · 31/05/2010 20:08

I did this with DC4.

Because his big sister had died from luekemia a 19mths earlier.

He didnt suffer.

She did.

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TheChangeSpiral · 31/05/2010 20:52

I see your point about the cord blood being good for the baby and will definitely ask for the cord to be cut later, as I'm hoping to have a home birth. However, if I did end up giving birth in a hospital where it was possible to donate, I wouldn't think twice about it. It's highly unlikely to make a difference to the life or death of the baby (considering early cutting of the cord is standard) but it could be just that for cancer patients.

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beanlet · 31/05/2010 21:14

You might like to know that you can donate your placenta at the Rosie in Cambridge, to assist in the university medical school's excellent research into pre-eclampsia, but I'm not entirely sure of the details. I'll try to find out.

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TheChangeSpiral · 31/05/2010 21:17

Thanks Beanlet

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nicm · 31/05/2010 22:27

i did this with ds at the royal jubilee in belfast and he was born on his due date. i was asked at one of my appointments if i would do it and decided as i couldn't give blood while pg i would do this instead. i had to have a blood test when he was a few months old.

www.nibts.org/cord.asp for info for people in northern ireland.

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