Re: Stem cell research.
 

I'm not talking umbilical cord cells, I'm talking about using embyos for harvesting them. this is currently seen as unethical.

Re: Stem cell research.
 

well what the us pro lobby is arguing is that those embryo's are going to be destroyed anywya for some reason or another. there's some 40K waitin to b destroyed.

surely to gain better medical knowledge from them is more ethical than to burn them?

Re: Stem cell research.
 

Yes you can Magily. There are a couple of medical companies which will bank cord blood now, they will even come to the hospital and leave an instruction package, contact telephone number and containers in which to collect the blood. They then come and collect the blood after delivery. There have been some women opting for this recently.

Re: Stem cell research.
 

I wish this had been an option a few years ago.

Re: Stem cell research.
 

Does this interfere with you doing your job as a Midwife Lettie?

Re: Stem cell research.
 

It does interfere a little bit. We take cord blood anyway, especially when the mother is rhesus negative as we need to know the blood group of the baby. Stem cell harvesting is slightly different in that there must be no contamination at all of that blood so we have to make sure that everything is sterile and hold the cord up away from the placenta and general gubbins found at delivery. Umbilical cords and placentae are wibbly wobbly things so it's easier said than done sometimes to get a sterile blood sample from them.

When we take blood as routine from an umbilical cord it doesn't matter about contamination, it can be tested anyway, so we just tend to pin the cord down and jab it. We just have to be a bit more careful with stem cell.

Re: Stem cell research.
 

off topic slightly but how many babies have you delivered lettie?

Re: Stem cell research.
 

I've lost count Madhatter. I have been doing this since 1991 although you don't work on delivery suite for all of that time. There is more to midwifery than delivering babies and labour care. I have done stints on antenatal, postnatal, community and delivery. I have done parentcraft classes, aquanatal classes and home deliveries. You do tend to lose count of how many babies you actually deliver. My best guess would be several hundred, maybe a thousand but I do remember the mums I've looked after and I always run into someone I've looked after in town or in the supermarket..:)

Re: Stem cell research.
 

*L* the thing about stem cells is that people are thinking of the embryo's but not the benefactors of the research either.

take one disease and u find a cure for it via stem cells. not only will u make the life of that person so much better all the treatment that person was goin thru regulary goes away too. so u free up alot of resources - vital resources such as blood banks, medicines and personnel

Re: Stem cell research.
 

That obviously makes you happy, You must be so proud of that. I imagine yours has to be one of the most rewarding jobs that anyone could do.

Re: Stem cell research.
 

I guess it could also be heartbreaking as well if anything was wrong with teh baby.