Cord Blood Donation for a HB?

[My*Scorpio]

X-posted in FYT...

Does anyone know of an organization that will accept a cord blood donation that is collected during a home birth?

I'm in Michigan.

[Georgetown HB Mom]

I don't know of any organizations, but just wanted to let you know that in order to collect cord blood the cord must be cut right away. This is not good for the baby. And in my opinion that blood belongs to the baby and should be given to that baby. If you allow the cord to pulse out the blood that is passed to the baby can be as much as 40% of its blood volume. Also, if you allow the cord to keep pulsating right after birth there is no need for the baby to immediatly begin to breathe. It is a much easier transition for the baby.

Lisa

[Belle]

Originally Posted by Georgetown HB Mom

I don't know of any organizations, but just wanted to let you know that in order to collect cord blood the cord must be cut right away. This is not good for the baby. And in my opinion that blood belongs to the baby and should be given to that baby. If you allow the cord to pulse out the blood that is passed to the baby can be as much as 40% of its blood volume. Also, if you allow the cord to keep pulsating right after birth there is no need for the baby to immediatly begin to breathe. It is a much easier transition for the baby.

Lisa

: We were talked into donating the cord blood from our first (hospital-birthed) baby. We told them no, that we wanted to wait to cut the cord. They lied and said that would be okay.

For our home-birthed baby we didn't cut the cord until the placenta was born. Our midwives got enough blood from it to blood type my baby (I'm Rh-) and not enough for a donation.

[laohaire]

When I was planning my HB, I looked at private banking (not donations), but their process worked fine for homebirths. Basically they send a package with all the equipment that is needed, and directions. They assume medical staff is doing it but there's nothing about the process that requires medical staff or anything like that.

We did not cut the cord until after it stopped pulsating. And then got absolutely no blood from it. Since it was a private banking company, we had paid a deposit, but they refunded all of it minus a small and reasonable fee.

Anecdotally (just reading other's experiences), if you wait until the cord stops pulsating, you are unlikely to get enough to donate. But sometimes you do. The fact that most often there's not enough tells you something about the natural process - that is, most babies in this country are deprived of their birthright (their blood) on a day that they really need it (being born requiring a lot of energy and healing and adjustment). We would never draw that much blood from a newborn, but somehow it's seen as ok to deprive the newborn of that blood from his or her cord.

Personally, I think that if someone is very interested in donating or banking, they should attempt it only after the cord stops pulsating, and not count on it working. If they get enough, great. If not, then the blood is already where it is most needed.

[My*Scorpio]

Originally Posted by Georgetown HB Mom

I don't know of any organizations, but just wanted to let you know that in order to collect cord blood the cord must be cut right away. This is not good for the baby. And in my opinion that blood belongs to the baby and should be given to that baby. If you allow the cord to pulse out the blood that is passed to the baby can be as much as 40% of its blood volume. Also, if you allow the cord to keep pulsating right after birth there is no need for the baby to immediatly begin to breathe. It is a much easier transition for the baby.

Lisa

This is exactly the opposite of what my MW said... She said she doesn't cut the cord any earlier. She has experience collecting it for private banking, not donations though.

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by My*Scorpio

This is exactly the opposite of what my MW said... She said she doesn't cut the cord any earlier. She has experience collecting it for private banking, not donations though.

Well, if she truly waits long enough I don't see how it could possibly hurt. However, I just wanted to give you a heads-up that some providers who don't care about the baby getting enough blood and just want to keep things moving will tell you that they will delay clamping, but they really mean it at face value. They'll "delay" it for, say, one minute and then cut - without examining the cord to see if it's stopped pulsating. Because the blood shifts back and forth between baby and placenta for a period after birth, it's not like waiting X minutes will give the baby Y more blood - it's still flowing. Only after it stops pulsating is it ready to be cut.

Again, my evidence is strictly anecdotal (about a dozen stories I've heard of, that's all) but your MW suggesting she always gets enough blood after "delaying" cutting suggests to me that she is merely "delaying" it a minute or whatever, without truly considering when the flow has stopped.

[Reha]

I've collected cord blood one time for a homebirth couple who wanted to privately bank it. Its the only time I've ever clamped a full, pulsing cord. we waited about 2 min after the birth to clamp it, and it was very full still. There was enough blood to fill the collection bag. However, personally, I too feel like that blood should go to the baby at birth. It's the parent's personal choice, though.

If you wait more than a few minutes to clamp, I don't think there is anyway you'll be able to have enough blood to bank.

[My*Scorpio]

Originally Posted by laohaire

your MW suggesting she always gets enough blood after "delaying" cutting suggests to me that she is merely "delaying" it a minute or whatever, without truly considering when the flow has stopped.

Well, she did say that it would be less blood because of delaying it, but I really don't care. It is for donation, so if there is any that can be collected, I would be happy with that. I also realize that the cord blood will likely be used for research instead of going to a donor, but again, I am alright with that.

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by My*Scorpio

Well, she did say that it would be less blood because of delaying it, but I really don't care. It is for donation, so if there is any that can be collected, I would be happy with that. I also realize that the cord blood will likely be used for research instead of going to a donor, but again, I am alright with that.

I think you are sweet for donating the cord blood It is people like you who are willing to donate something so precious to research that helped to identify my second son's congenital heart defect. Research saves lives 20 years ago his defect was unknown and the deaths were being ruled "SIDS" deaths - thank god for research! : The HB MW we use has collected cord blood for several couples, all you need is a special kit and the cord blood company will usually send it out to you.

[langdonslady]

For what it's worth, my DD who was born by section had her cord cut before it stopped pulsing (against my wishes) and became anemic despite full breastfeeding and my own iron levels being GREAT, right on schedule at 6 months, when docs say "all babies get anemic and need iron drops at that age". Well it turns out that premature cutting of the cord denies the newborn her full iron stores, and these get depleted too quickly, and then she "needs" iron drops.

My DS, born HBAC, no cutting of cord til it was good and done, NEVER needed iron drops, never became anemic, and never "needed" oxygen at birth the way my poor DD did when they cut her cord too soon and then miraculously saved her with clamping a mask over her face.

Numerous and rather cruel animal studies confirm that newborns NEED their cord blood. Nature doesn't waste anything. And they usually survive having it "harvested" but they do not get to have their full health. And then doctors reassure moms that it is normal for babies to get anemic at 6 months. I started investigating this when I couldn't accept the idea that humans were evolved with a serious deficiency requiring modern medical correction. Turns out it is modern medical practices causing it.

In cases where there is bad genetic illness in a family and a high likelihood of needing cord blood I would consider it, but never in a normal situation, because it does affect the baby very adversely. The placenta isn't just pumping blood through the cord for no purpose after birth, and modern doc's treatment of it reminds me of ancient egyptians considering the brain to be an organ without purpose because that purpose wasn't obvious to them at the time. LOL

[hapersmion]

I can't remember my company - it was either cryobanks (http://www.cryo-intl.com/) or lifebank USA (http://www.lifebankusa.com/donation_...&world=doctors). Whichever one takes the placenta as well as the cord blood, that's the one we used.

It was no problem donating from the Farm, they sent a courier out to pick up the box. And we had enough blood, after waiting until the cord stopped pulsing.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by langdonslady

In cases where there is bad genetic illness in a family and a high likelihood of needing cord blood I would consider it, but never in a normal situation, because it does affect the baby very adversely. The placenta isn't just pumping blood through the cord for no purpose after birth, and modern doc's treatment of it reminds me of ancient egyptians considering the brain to be an organ without purpose because that purpose wasn't obvious to them at the time. LOL

I wouldn't touch that cord until it stops pulsating; it's not extra, it's your child's blood and they need it.

[My*Scorpio]

Thanks for your concern everyone, but just to reiterate - we are planning to delay the cord cutting and clamping. My HB MW will not cut it any earlier because of the cord blood donation. This will not take anything away from my baby. It will allow something that was going to be thrown away to be used to help others.

hapersmion, thanks for the links. I already checked with Cyrobanks, and they no longer accept HB donations. I am going to call LifeBank tomorrow. That is interesting that they are also able to get stem cells from the placenta.

[seashells]

Originally Posted by My*Scorpio

Thanks for your concern everyone, but just to reiterate - we are planning to delay the cord cutting and clamping.

I think the concern comes from your repeated use of the word "delay." If you just "delay" you will still be depriving your baby of his or her blood. People are recommending you wait until the cord stops pulsing. I've heard of a lot of OBs and MWs who "delay" cord cutting - but only for 30 seconds or a minute or whatever. Ask your midwife when she cuts - if she names a timeframe instead of talking about watching the cord, I would be concerned. I think a cord can keep pulsing for 15 minutes sometimes, or maybe even longer. So if she says "oh, we wait 5 minutes, that's always long enough" I would specify that you want to wait until the baby is done with it, whether it's 5 minutes or 50 minutes.

[hapersmion]

Originally Posted by My*Scorpio

Thanks for your concern everyone, but just to reiterate - we are planning to delay the cord cutting and clamping. My HB MW will not cut it any earlier because of the cord blood donation. This will not take anything away from my baby. It will allow something that was going to be thrown away to be used to help others.

hapersmion, thanks for the links. I already checked with Cyrobanks, and they no longer accept HB donations. I am going to call LifeBank tomorrow. That is interesting that they are also able to get stem cells from the placenta.

You're welcome! And I thought it was pretty neat too. It does mean, of course, that you can't eat the placenta, or plant it, or make smoothies or anything, but we weren't planning to do that anyway. As meaningful gestures go, I thought donation was a pretty good one.

[Sustainer]

Just wanted to say a big : to most of the comments.

It upsets me so much that hospitals steal babies' cord blood.

[DahliaRW]

According to my MW there are no places that take donations for hb.

We talked cord blood banking (not doing it) and what they do is draw blood using a needle from the umbilical cord from the vein that takes the blood from the baby to the placenta. I thought that was interesting.

[AugustLia23]

Originally Posted by My*Scorpio

Thanks for your concern everyone, but just to reiterate - we are planning to delay the cord cutting and clamping. My HB MW will not cut it any earlier because of the cord blood donation. This will not take anything away from my baby. It will allow something that was going to be thrown away to be used to help others.

If you are going to delay cord clamping anyways, there will likely not be enough blood to be worth collecting. All the banks have minimum amount requirements, and if they don't get enough(120mls or something like that), then whatever blood they do collect is useless to them. I'd just let the baby get all it's blood and leave it at that, but that's me. Some immediately clamped cords don't get enough blood for the requirements.

[amcdonnell]

LifebankUSA is currently the only cord blood bank that also collects from the placenta. Placenta-cord blood banking is a great solution to parents who want to wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating.

They also accept donations of placenta-cord blood.

Audrey McDonnell