Spinoff: Did you save your kids cord blood?

[Fat Elvis]

The thread about the "skin gun" and stem cell possibilities made me wonder how many parents saved thier kids cord blood since it contains stem cells. If you don't have kids yet, will you save their cord blood now that the promise of stem cell research is being realized? If no on either account, why not?

[MagicHef]

We left the cord attached for a while after our daughter was born to allow the cord blood to go into her system. It helps during the baby's most critical development, helps prevent a lot of the things that saved cord blood is used to treat, and is completely free. There's no reason to clamp and cut the cord right after birth, unless you need the cord blood to help another one of your children.

[WV]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

We left the cord attached for a while after our daughter was born to allow the cord blood to go into her system. It helps during the baby's most critical development, helps prevent a lot of the things that saved cord blood is used to treat, and is completely free. There's no reason to clamp and cut the cord right after birth, unless you need the cord blood to help another one of your children.

Seriously? I've never heard anything like this. Interesting.

[Fat Elvis]

Originally Posted by Otter

I received your rep comment Fat Elvis and there are many needs for the Gaz option in this poll, and every poll on Chiefsplanet. Allow me to demonstrate applicable Gaz option scenarios:

1. There was a mix up, we froze the baby and kept the cord. My wife is heavily medicated in the corner trying to breast feed a severed umbilical cord as I type.

2. The mere mention of the words "umbilical cord" trigger my gag reflex so I disassociated myself from the decision.

3. My wife and child suffered from "Single Umbilical Artery". Thank you for making me re-live the memories Fat Elvis. If anyone is looking for me I'll be shooting heroin in my bedroom dulling the pain.

Need I go on?

We all make mistakes, we just ask that you learn from this one Fat E.

Wut? Are you sure that was me?

[Wyndex]

yeah it was pretty expensive and we were not fiscally able to so we donated it, we are expecting again...due it august...hopefully we can afford it this time

[eazyb81]

Disgusting. No.

People actually do this?

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by WVChiefFan

Seriously? I've never heard anything like this. Interesting.

I'm on my phone, othrwise I'd give you a link to some studies. You can google "delayed cord clamping" if you would like. Babies don't use most of their internal organs until they take their first breath, and the sudden need for blood in their organs can deprive their brain of oxygen if they do not have access to the blood in the cord and placenta. The average clamping time is around 10-20 seconds, while it can take 90-120 seconds for all the reserve blood in the cord and placenta to go into the baby. Some people will say that it is unsafe to delay clamping, but there is very little literature to back that claim up.