Re: Amy's OB (also: Woof! : )

amyeaustin_at_gmail.com
Date: 01/28/05 

Date: 28 Jan 2005 11:52:38 -0800

Ok, I'm not going to reply to all of this because frankly you can
"bark" a lot louder and longer than I can - I'm home early to take a
nap, and I simply don't have the energy to argue wth you. I love this
first trimester stuff.

1) My doctor made it extremely clear, and we agreed, that the cord
blood collection was our last priority. Yes, it's important, but if
there are difficulties during birth, our attention and efforts will be
focused on helping the baby and I though them. Research, while noble,
is secondary (tertiary) to our health. If anything goes wrong, our
plans to collect the blood are scrapped, period. So your alarmist
statements about brain damaged babies being "robbed" of "massive
amounts" of blood, yadda yadda, don't apply. Frankly, I can't imagine
any parent or doctor would say, "Gosh, the baby's in respiratory
failure, but they said on their birth plan that they want to blood
banked, so we'd better do that before we save the kid..." That's
absurd.

I'd be interested to know how many deliveries you've participated in...
You seem to have this idea that the medical establishment is out to
kill and injure babies, and I don't believe that's the case. While
I've had my share of run-ins with doctors (my husband's 90+ year old
grandma was taken, by me, to the ER because she was altered and short
of breath. We cooled our heels for 2 hours before a doc came, and by
then she was breathing normally and no longer altered. The doctor took
a cursory look at her and dismissed our fears. I told him to get his
ass on the phone with her doctor and tell her what I'd described,
because these symptoms were atypical for Grandmother, and sure enough,
she got a pacemaker later that week because I was right - I'm not one
who takes the word of doctors as gospel... and I'm not afraid to stand
up for myself and my loved ones against authority figures) I don't
think they're evil or that they have negative intentions.

2) I'm not posting the name of the company that's collecting our cord
blood because I feel that to be private information that I am unwilling
to share online. However, a pregnant woman who is considering donation
is welcome to e-mail me privately, I'll be happy to put her in contact
with the company.

3) I happen to have the info and consent forms right here, ready to be
taken to my OB at my next appointment and signed. They say, "After
your baby is born and the cord has been clamped and cut, the doctor can
collect the umbilical cord blood. There is no guarantee that your
baby's cord blood will be collected or stored. There are many reasons
that could prevent collection, such as staff unavailability, birth
complications, or other events making donations inappropriate."

And under "Potential Risks" it says:

"None. The collection of blood from you for the infectious disease
testing will be performed at the same time your blood is drawn after
you arrive at the hospital for delivery. The actual collection of the
cord blood from the umbilical cord occurs after your baby has been
delivered, the cord cut, and the afterbirth delivered. In some
instances, the collection of the cord blood may not be done in the same
room as you and your baby. Potential risk to your baby - None. Having
blood drawn for testing is a normal occurrence prior to delivery. The
amount of blood collected for the infectious disease testing is low
enough that it will not impact your health or the health of the baby."

They apparently take an extra vial or two from Mom before delivery to
test for AIDS and stuff, because there is such a small volume of cord
blood, they want to save that for research.

At no point in the literature I received does it instruct the doctor to
clamp the cord immediately, or to put the baby at risk for the sake of
blood collection.

I'm sorry, I am really, really tired. I had a horrible night's sleep
last night, and I don't have any more energy to spare on this
conversation. By the time you read this, I'll be dreaming.

Amy

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