[CinnamonGirl]

My sister, pregnant with her first child, is being solicited for donation of her cord blood. I remember investigating this when I was pregnant with my first and concluding that it wasn't a good idea--both because my own baby would need those last few drops of blood, and because someone told me the donated blood is rarely usable for the reasons that are given by the blood banks (to save lives of other babies/people with rare diseases, etc.)

Can anyone give me some more concrete facts on this? Isn't the bottom line that we want the blood to be allowed to go into our babies' bodies?

 

[CarrieMF]

I may not have popular opinion but this is it anyhow.

If the blood goes into a private bank for your own use chances are it will never be used. If it goes into a public one and it could possibly save another child(or adult's) life then why not do it. My kids cords were cut before they got all the blood and they are not harmed by it. However due to their restrictions on who can and cannot donate cord blood I was unable to donate cord blood. I have friends who's kids may need stem cells and who stem cell research could benefit. I would donate their bone marrow, blood, etc to help another child now much as I would have their cord blood had I been able. IMO it is one of the few selfless acts a person can do.

The person who told you that the cord blood is rarely used, did they work in a public blood bank.

 

[mwherbs]

When we wait for the cord to stop pulsing there is very little blood left. The baby probably needs it's own stem cells-

 

[georgia]

Thought this was interesting reading, esp. the AAP calling private cord blood banking "unwise."

http://www.marrow.org/FAQS/cord_blood_faqs.html

 

[LittleOne03]

I just gave birth 4 weeks ago (wow! how time flies!!), and someone came in to ask if we would donate our cord blood. I told her that we were waiting for the cord to stop pulsing before clamping, so I didn't think there would be enough remaining to harvest. She assured me that there was, so we signed the forms. Our midwife did wait to clamp the cord (unlike the Dr. that delivered my son), and when the blood bank person went to harvest the blood from the cord there wasn't enough remaining to donate. So, I guess the bottom line is that you can sign the forms and then later they will determine whether or not there is enough remaining for you to donate.

I do agree with the PP that the baby needs to have "first dibs" on the cord blood.

 

[USAmma]

After following the saga of Allie , who died of leukemia at age 8 mos., I would by all means donate cord blood if we had decided to have another baby. She had a transplant using donated cord blood.

Darshani

 

[Quirky]

I would only allow them to take any remaining blood after the cord had completely stopped pulsing. I agree that babies need their own cord blood first. www.cordclamping.com is a good resource for information.

 

[slightly crunchy]

I donated ds's cord blood and would do so again. If it can save the life of a child (or possibly an adult--there is more research being done in that area although usually there are not enough cells for an adult to be transplanted), then why not?

I do feel more strongly this time that cord clamping should be delayed as some have stated, and so I would put that as preference to any blood being donated. But if there is some left, unless someone's religious beliefs prevent it, I don't know why someone wouldn't want to donate.