To think many women would be happy to donate umbilical cords and placentas?

[wotoodoo]

I have just read of MN handholding please - relapse from Dashing redhead and think that if mums to be were aware of how useful umbilical cords and placentas were for stem cell harvesting, then they would get many more donations.

YANBU

I have read the same thread.

I'm in Scotland and would happily do it - not one hospital does it.

Why the heck not?! What a bloody waste.

It's true. I've active enquired twice about doing it, and was told I can't because there are no procedure's in place for doing so. I'd've had to organise everything myself.

*procedures

I'd do it. I don't get why all hospitals don't.

*actively.

I'm surprised they don't let you donate them.

Here in the US it was one of the options, and the donation people had me just fill out a few forms. Once I delivered, they just took the placenta away.

Really, it's just going in the trash anyway, why not use it to help someone that might need it?

Gave birth in the US and both times everything was donated. With DD I had preclampsia and I was perfectly fine with them doing further tests for their research. Anything to help other women and hopefully find a proper cure. It was the least I could do.

If I had known about the usefulness I would not have buried mine in the garden!

What an absolute waste though! I hope someone will come along or perhaps collectively we can do something about it?

I've recently read about it and would Definetly be up for it. I'm going to ask my midwife at my next appointment if they do anything like that in my area.

They do it at my hospital, kings in London, and I though yes ill absolutely do that, signed all the forms and it was in my notes. Wasn't until a few hrs after birth and I'd got lucid again that I realised it was all sitting there in one of those cardboard sick buckets. So my request was totally ignored!

I'm also in Scotland and I was told they do it in one of the Glasgow hospitals nowhere else. I think it's a real shame. How hard can it be to collect them? If have donated mine if it had been possible.

I asked to donate mine and the midwifes looked at me like I was from space and told me there wasn't the provision to donate, which struck me as odd considering how useful they are.

I would have donated both of mine if I'd known they could be of use to someone else - as far as I know they just went into the incinerator. I wasn't even aware that donating them could be an option (although I probably should have been as a hcp myself). What a waste - YADNBU, is there any sort of campaign that can be started?

Goodness I would have if anyone had asked. It's not like I needed them anymore

We can donate in our hospital, and I did just a few weeks ago!

I'd have gladly donated, wasn't even mentioned though.

I would happily have donated but I didn't even know it was an option or even thought about it. If the MW had asked me I'd have had no problem!

I wonder if you can still do delayed cord clamping if you are donating your cord and placenta?

I wanted to do this but currently only a small number of London hospitals do this

Only one hospital in Glasgow does it at the moment. I enquiried before giving birth earlier this year and was told they don't publicise it more due to a lack of facilities, only those pregnant in the catchment area of the hospital are given any info about it (in Scotland). The person I spoke to wasn't sure how long the collection will continue in scotland and there doesn't seem to be any plans to roll out to the rest of the country

lisalou I was at Kings and I don't think they do the placenta but they definitely took my umbilical cord. I had a lovely letter ages later from the Anthony Nolan Trust about how useful it was. So maybe they did take the cord?

When I was pg, they gave us a leaflet about donating your cord and placenta. You had to have given permission by 24wks, which I hadn't realised and was too late.

I couldn't have donated with dd1 as the umbilical cord was only 15cm long, and snapped on birth.

I'd have donated if I could but I was told they didn't have procedures in place.

Not available here either.

It drives me crazy, same with breastmilk donation - why have a NICU with masses of posters saying how important bm is, but no facilities to donate!