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Issues around the management of the placenta
The baby - extra cord blood and positioning after birth
Most women are able to donate their babies cord blood. The following are some circumstances that would prevent the woman from doing so. They include:
Availability of the service
Infectious viruses
Health conditions for the mother
Mother has a fever
Premature baby
Baby healthy and not distressed
Availability of the service. If you wish to donate blood from your baby's placenta and cord you need to check with your caregiver as to whether the Cord Blood Collection Service is available at your birthplace. In Australia, participating birthplaces are limited to a few, large, metropolitan and some country maternity hospitals.
This is because the cord blood needs to be:
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Collected within minutes of the birth by caregivers trained in the procedure. |
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Kept cool while being transported, and |
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Processed and stored at one of the Cord Blood Banks specialised laboratories within 48 hours after it is collected. |
If these are not possible, then the cord blood cannot be used and the collection of it will be a wasted exercise. There may also be limiting restrictions even where the service is available. For example in some birthplaces the cord blood cannot be collected if the woman has her baby at certain times (for example on a Saturday night or Sunday). Trained collectors are usually only available during certain hours (week days) and the cord blood bank laboratories only function Monday to Friday or Saturday. Check this with your caregiver.
Infectious viruses. If the woman is known to carry an infectious virus in her blood, such as HIV / AIDS, Hepatitis B and C or syphilis, then she will not be able to donate her baby's cord blood.