At 31 weeks pregnant there are a lot of thoughts in my head re labour choices, packing my hospital bag, birth plan etc. One of the things I have heard about, and would very much like to get involved in, is donation of the placenta and the cord blood for harvesting stem cells.
These stem cells are used predominantly for fighting Leukemia and other blood disorders, they are currently just discarded with the placenta, which is such a shame. These stem cells would negate the need for bone marrow transplants, which is an invasive and painful procedure for both donor and recipient.
I had contacted a hospital in London to find out if my placenta could be transported to them as there's nothing currently closer that offers these services, but sadly they have not replied.
I found a story on a new umbilical cord donor centre that will be opening in Birmingham in September whilst scouring the BBC news health pages to find something to write about - there was a story on midwifery on the news last night which I was specifically interested in, however, I cannot seem to find it.
I will be watching this story for further updates!
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