Baby's First Meal

How do I find out if my doctor is certified by The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology?

You may send your request by e-mail to rhino@metronet.com or send a letter requesting this information to:

The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2915 Vine Street
Dallas, TX 75204

Fax number is (214) 871-1943

"What Exactly Is A Labor Assistant ?"

by Laurie Volm, CMA, CCE

Amongst the latest business ventures, we find the Professional Labor Assistant. While in theory, it may not be a bad idea, in practicality, it is usually too expensive for the ones who may need the service the most. Charging between $150.00 and $300.00, these compassionate women offer their support to women and couples in labor. They are trained and possibly certified to attend to the physical needs of the laboring woman. They know all the right things to do for her, massage, kind words, heat, ice, soft voice and touch. All the things the woman and her partner, or chosen support person, learned to do in their childbirth preparation class. They are knowledgeable of the birth process, and can be of great comfort and support, much like the partner or the close friend or relative, who has learned about these things in their childbirth preparation class. In many instances, the woman or couple have decided that it may be nice to have extra support present. Sometimes women feel like they want to have another woman there, someone who has experienced childbirth, and understands what she is going through. Sometimes, a woman has noone she wants there, and a labor support person may be the perfect solution.

If you do think about hiring someone to help you through the birth process, make sure that you interview several women. A labor support person should be there to provide the physical comfort necessary to create a relaxing, and soothing ambiance. He or she should be there in complete support of mother's wishes. They sometime will act as a liason between the Medical staff and the mom, or couple, by facilitating communication between eachother. Make sure that you know where she stands on the big issues, ie; medication, epidurals, episiotomies, c-sections, breast feeding, birthing in the hospital birthing center or at home, depending on where you have chosen to deliver. Confirm in advance that her ideas are in unison with your own. Her personality, and it's affect on you are very important. She should be in contact with you prior, of course during and should offer some postpartum contact, or help with breast feeding.

A labor assistant should consider it an honor and a privilege, to be asked to attend something so awesome and personal as the birth of a baby, perhaps the most sacred and cherished event of one's life. She should never be there to fulfill her own desires, or impose her own opinions about how things should go, as if it were her in labor. She should not be there to act out her own agenda, creating a hostile environment amongst the woman, or couple and the medical team. She needs to be flexible, and allow the woman the freedom to change her mind about an issue, as the need arises during her pregnancy, or labor.

It is important to define all roles, of anyone in attendance at the birth, before the labor ensues. That way, the partner can avoid feeling left out, which sometimes happens with a third party present. More often than not, the laboring woman usually has a close friend or relative who can also provide the emotional support. Together with the mother's partner, they can make the birth experience all that it should be- a positive, wonderful experience. Even if the birth experience doesn't progress exactly as you had planned, it is the role of labor support assistants and partners to make the difficult transition into parenthood as easy as possible.

Umbilical Cord Blood Worth More than Gold - BANK IT!

from the International Cord Blood Foundation

A baby is born in Anytown, USA -- one of more than 4 million births projected each year. As is customary in delivery rooms throughout the country, the doctor discards the child's umbilical cord, wasting the lifesaving cells contained within. If the child's parents were made aware of the lifesaving benefits of umbilical cord blood, and the ability to collect and freeze the cells contained within, they may well have chosen another option -- either donating the blood for use by a cancer patient in need of a bone marrow transplant, or storing the cord blood as a form of "biological insurance" for future use by the child or another member of the family.

Unfortunately, the significant majority of parents and their caregivers are either unaware of the lifesaving benefits of cord blood or are unfamiliar with the option of and procedures required for saving it. As a result, the disease-fighting cells contained in over 10,000 umbilical cords are routinely thrown away each and every day. Umbilical cord blood contains the same disease-fighting stem cells as bone marrow. Stem cells constantly reproduce, generating a continuous supply of the red blood cells, white blood cells, lymphocytes and platelets that make up the human immune system. It's as if we are all born with a back-up blood and immune system that is routinely thrown away for lack of awareness.

The stem cells contained within cord blood work the same way as bone marrow -- when transplanted, they can help cure such diseases as leukemia, other cancers and blood and immune system disorders. Cord blood transplants, however, can actually be more effective than bone marrow transplants -- the retrieval process is painless, donor/recipient matches are easier to find, and the risk of rejection is greatly reduced.

Think about it, who's life has not been touched in some way by these deadly diseases? It's a sad fact that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children. How often have you heard of someone enduring a painstaking search for a matching bone marrow donor? Nothing is more tragic than having a cure and not finding a donor. Cord blood can put an end to this tragedy. We think this is something the public should know. You can help us achieve our mission of saving lives by helping to STOP CORD WASTE.

The International Cord Blood Foundation is raising public awareness regarding the benefits of banking cord blood and is building an international donor bank of unrelated cord blood cells. Through the Foundation's education, research and banking efforts, cord blood will become a key resource in the fight against cancer, blood diseases, and, hopefully, such genetic diseases as Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Already, cord blood stem cells have been used in hundreds of cancer, blood and immune system treatments with a success rate of 85%. We must stop wasting this disease-fighting resource and begin informing parents about both the properties of, and ownership considerations for, their children' s cord blood.

Diseases Treatable with Cord Blood

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute Myelogenous
Leukemia
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
Histiocytic Disorders
Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Inherited Erythrocyte
Inherited Immune System Disorders
Abnormalities
Myelodysplastic Disorders
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Other Leukemias
Other Malignancies
Plasma Cell Disorders
Severe Aplastic Anemia

Leukemia is, by far, the most commonly treated disease with cord blood.

The Donation Process

  • A volunteer donor is informed about the option to donate cord blood.
  • This information generally comes from a Child Birth Educator, Ob/Gyn, Midwife, the media, a friend or other interested or related party.
  • Notice of intent to donate must be provided sixty days prior to delivery. At this time, all of the necessary paperwork to review and process a donor request is provided to the prospective donor.
  • Forty-five days prior to delivery, the donor is required to return the comprehensive medical information questionnaire, execute an Authorization to Collect and Release from Liability with the physician and execute an Informed Consent.
  • Fourteen days prior to anticipated delivery, the donor is advised regarding the eligibility of their sample. If the prospect is eligible, a collection kit is provided to the donor which contains specific procedural instructions for both the caregiver and donor.
  • Between the second and third stages of labor, after the child has delivered and the umbilical cord has been cut and clamped, the remaining cord and placental blood is extracted via syringe from the umbilical vein.
  • The blood is shipped in a specially provided package to the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center where the sample is tested and screened, the stem cells are separated and the material is cryogenically frozen.

For more information about Awareness Drives, Corporate Programs or individual volunteer opportunities, please call the International Cord Blood Foundation toll free at 1-888-CORDBLOOD (1-888-267-3256) or visit our Internet Site. For more information about Cord Blood Donation call 1-818-951-9338, or write to the International Cord Blood Foundation, 901 Mariner's Island Blvd., Suite 265 San Mateo, CA 94404.

The International Cord Blood Foundation (ICBF) is a Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation whose mission is to develop an allogeneic cord blood bank from volunteer unrelated donors. This cord blood donor bank is intended to serve as a public "bioresource" for anyone in search of transplantable stem cells.

Waterbirth Information

The Waterbirth Site
Review: This site covers an alternative birthing method that should only be performed with a trained and qualified health care professional. Complete with a resource provider list. Beautiful graphics, stories, and photographs of actual waterbirth experiences.