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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU about my DCs cord blood?

29 replies

tjtheminx · 26/01/2010 14:02

I'm 15 weeks pg at the moment. My husband is a research scientist.

On Saturday night he rolled in pissed from the pub ( setting the context here.)and announced ( not asked... announced) that his colleague from the lab would be collecting the cord blood from the delivery room when this DC is born.

I was not impressed, to put it mildly.
I'm all for scientific research but don't you think they are ethical/moral issues with my DH using the cord blood from our baby?

I'll probably say yes in the end but think it needs more of a discussion. Or am I just being precious?

OP posts:
nickytwotimes · 26/01/2010 14:04

What moral issues?

paisleyleaf · 26/01/2010 14:04

It's probably a good idea that you'd go along with.
But he's messed up a bit in the way he's gone about bringing it up.

Hassled · 26/01/2010 14:05

What does he want the cord blood for? As long as he's not planning to drink it, I suppose I can't come up with a reason why not - but your DH's announcement was a bit much. It's both of your child, so these things need to be decided jointly. Is he usually this much of an arse?

Lulumama · 26/01/2010 14:07

i don;t think a lab technician can jsut waltz in and take cord blood, also what if you give birth in the middle of the night?

does he want the blood for his own reserach? is this moral/ethical, allowed by guidelines

i think it needs more disucssion when he is not pissed

Fimblehobbs · 26/01/2010 14:08

I'm sure I'd say yes if ASKED but wouldn't like being TOLD. Would also not like the assumption that I would be having a hospital birth...

TheArmadillo · 26/01/2010 14:10

YANBU as I think the problem is him deciding this with no consultion.

wideratthehips · 26/01/2010 14:12

when i wanted to collect my first childs cord blood to be banked i was told that i would have to have a private nurse/maternity nurse with me to take the sample.

the staff on duty would NOT be doing it thankyou very much....a lab technician? is he phlebotomy trained??

blinder · 26/01/2010 14:20

Well I think my question to DH would be, 'Er, why?'

duchesse · 26/01/2010 14:23

Tell your DH that unless and until you have agreed to this then his colleague can just piss right off out of the labour suite. I think the chances of his being allowed in by staff are vanishingly small anyway. I can't think of any ethical issues, just logistical and emotional ones for you.

YANBU, tell him to pull himself together.

HallelujahHeisBorntoMary · 26/01/2010 14:25

I never thought to ask my DH if it was OK, when samples were taken of cord blood and placenta at our son's birth .

He could have picked a better way of discussing it with you, but it sounds a bit like the drink got to him a bit. And yes, I'd like to know why. I don't think there are ethical/moral issues involved unless his colleague is doing anything unethical/immoral with the sample.

(In my case, I had Obstetric Cholestatis, and they took samples for research into the condition. The midwife did it all, but I cleared it with the hospital first. Even so, she was a bit as she hadn't had time to think about it before being asked to do it)

Poledra · 26/01/2010 14:29

Your DH was being a bit of an arse, telling you rather than asking you if it was OK with you too.

However, as a research scientist, I would always be quite happy to give the cord blood for research. There will probably be a consent form for you to sign, and arrangements will be in place for the blood to be collected by an appropriate member of hospital staff. My placenta from DD3's birth went to medical research (well, we were finished with it ) - I was asked by the mw if I was interested in donating it, I said yes, read and signed the consent form and off it went. This was also in the hospital where my DH works in research.

Is the blood given anonymously? I guess the only issue would be if the sample was identifiable. In most cases for this, it would be an anonymous sample, unable to be traced back to you.

PotPourri · 26/01/2010 14:34

But what do they do with it? I have never heard of this. They did use the cord to test DD1s blood group as I am B-. (Then promptly lost the sample, took blood from her foot, promptly lost that, and my notes, then did it again and got it. I can't really remember the blood group after all that - shocking!)

ImSoNotTelling · 26/01/2010 14:43

poledra I don't think she is talking about donating cord blood in the usual way, something I have done twice and is above board and normal.

She is saying her husband wants his mate to come to the delivery room and collect the cord blood himself so that he can do some experiments with it.

Of course it is a ridiculous proposition. If this bloke needs cord blood for his research shouldn't he obtain it through the proper channels?

i doubt the hospital will allow some random to wander in and start collecting blood from your placenta TBH.

ImSoNotTelling · 26/01/2010 14:45

If anyone is interested donating or finding out more look here it is a very worthwhile thing to do.

(and went a little way towards salving my conscience that I'm too much of a wuss to give blood)

Poledra · 26/01/2010 14:45

OK, sorry completely misunderstood there - assumed that his mate had the correct ethics permission etc to go ahead.

I'll slink back off to the work I should be doing

ImSoNotTelling · 26/01/2010 14:47

Maybe I'm wrong but that's how I read it.

If she was donating in the usual way then it wouldn't be the research scientist collecting it. They have nice ladies who come and do that (Not saying that nice ladies can't be research scientists obviously, just that collecting is a different job from researching).

Original poster
tjtheminx · 26/01/2010 14:49

Thanks for your replies.
AFAIK the cord blood would be used for the stem cells - they are reconstituting mouse immune systems for research into diabetes.

As I said, I'll probably say yes, as I know that this research is important.

nicktwotimes I don't know what moral issues... am just cranky!

Mainly I suppose it's the way he went about it. Would have preferred a discussion first.
hassled yes, he can be this much of an arse after a few pints

I have no idea how it would be collected ( sounded like he didn't either) but would prefer not to have his nerdy scientist colleague who I don't even know standing there in anticipation.

OP posts:
Poledra · 26/01/2010 14:52

tjtheminx, when my mate was collecting umbilical cords to generate HUVEC preps, he used to get a call from the maternity suite then he'd go collect the cord from the nurses station.

nickytwotimes · 26/01/2010 14:53

Fair enough!

Yes, he could've approached it better...

shergar · 26/01/2010 14:55

You can have research scientists coming to collect cord blood (ours go out and get placentae all the time!), but that should be after they have gained your consent, and you have signed a detailed consent form to say you've understood all the information, know what the purpose of the study is etc., and you should have an information sheet (or two) that you've read and get to keep. What you're describing here is unethical and actually illegal; and it falls well outside the remit of the Human Tissue Act, which governs the collection and storage of human tissues (which cord blood is, bizarrely enough!). So no, this is not on at all, and your husband should know that full well if he's a scientist who's worked in this kind of arena for any length of time. You can't get away with informal arrangements like this since the Human Tissue Act came into being - if the Human Tissue Authority inspected his lab (and they inspect ours regularly!) it would probably be closed down for antics like this.

Your husband will, I hope, realise all of this when he's sober.

ImSoNotTelling · 26/01/2010 14:57

No not fair enough.

He should be obtaining cord blood through the proper channels for his research. Not using his mates wifes cord blood

He will need to obtain permission from the hospital to do this - is it something he has done before? Does he or his organisatioh have an agreement in place with the hospital?

Do you feel OK about having this bloke there at/immediately after your birth?

I thought there were very strict rules about who was allowed to use stem cells in research, and where those stem cells could be obtained from?

ImSoNotTelling · 26/01/2010 14:59

Like shergar said

My cord blood collectors had that as their specific job, fair enough if the actual researchers do it sometimes. They are trained to do it though i guess, is this blokes mate trained to do it?

nickelbabe · 26/01/2010 14:59

there's some information on this website
it only covers north london, but i think you can also do it elsewhere (linked from the national bloodservice

it's a good thing to do, but yanbu, as it's not your DH's business.
it's you that has to make the decision as it's classed as your blood.

Original poster
tjtheminx · 26/01/2010 15:30

Thanks.
I think my DH just came up with the bright idea and decided to announce it to me!

He's pretty ethical about his work in general and I'm sure they'll go through the correct channels. I know, however that he has personally consented patients who are having bone marrow transplants and collected the peripheral stem cells himself.

We're not in the UK- we're at an Ivy League Medical School in the US- so surely they have protocols here. [but believe me, I work as a medic there too and the NHS/ western europe in general has a much more stringent ethical code]

I think I would feel better if it went to a general "cord blood bank" for the university and was more anonymous. Then I would feel I had done my bit but bit not in such an ad hoc way IFYWIM

OP posts:
Original poster
tjtheminx · 26/01/2010 15:32

Oh and fimblehobs I'm too much of a scaredy cat to have a home birth anyhow.

OP posts:
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