Hilary's Desk

The function of the placenta is an overlooked non-thought, because the medical system considers it redundant the minute a baby's head makes an appearance.  Don't you think that strange, given that for nearly nine months, the placenta has provided nutrients, oxygen and... stem cells to the baby?  This magnificent organ provides an amazing service, which is utterly abused, particularly when it comes to ... multipotent and lineage-committed stem cells.  That the placenta contains stem cells should present no surprises to anyone.  After all, where do the medical profession think stem cells come from? Thin air?  Perhaps they "just appear" and are unique to, a developing embryo?  Nope.  Cord blood from the placenta, has been described as the baby's first natural stem cell transplant. Which is why anyone who understands placental physiology would never clamp a cord. So why do they? And we also also know that one of the consequences of immediate cord cutting, is brain ischaemia, which can cause brain damage for life.  Read Full Blog

Long time readers here will know that immediate cord-clamping is something which makes me angry enough to write lots of blogs on it.  In the latest BMJ, a retired consultant obstetrician, in a column called Personal View calls for the practice to be stopped.  Why does an obstetrician have to be retired before saying the blindingly obvious?  It’s utterly insane that the “lay” community is and has always been, way ahead of the eight ball when it comes to cord clamping. And they were way ahead when it came to routine episiotomy too. I’m sure that the obstetricians only re-looked at the "science" of episiotomy, when the vocal, radical antsy mothers of the 60’s to the 80’s told them where to stick their automatic scissors and lucrative intervention bonuses up their own posterior!!! That there had to be some research done to justify getting rid of episiotomies, was another tragic waste of money, just as more research on leaving the cord alone will be an utter waste of money.  Except to the lucky person in dibs for another 10 years of secure income.

On October 26th, I talked about the practice of immediate cord-clamping.  Read Full Blog

Just when you think sanity might prevail, and you write a blog about one doctor with a brain, everything implodes. I decided to do a pubmed search, just to double check when stem cells were first found in cord blood. The answer to that is around 2000 if you count the lag to publish. Then I did a check on third stage cord clamping management, and came across this 2010 article, which exemplifies everything I dislike about obstetric practice in 2010. Read Full Blog

Hurrah, a doctor finally sees the blindingly obvious! In a study entitled “Wait to clamp umbilical cord, study says” Paul R. Sanberg from South Florida College of Medicine, is the first person I know of, who has finally published what I’ve been saying for years. Which equates to “Don't clamp the newborn’s umbilical cord!” His reason is that cord blood gives the baby its first infusion of stem cells which could help regenerate any underdeveloped organs.  And do a whole heap of other things too.  I’m glad he said that. But here’s my problem. Why didn’t all these medical people who have called cord blood “medical waste” and set up cord banks specifically to save those stem cells, see that? Isn’t it somewhat blindingly obvious? My first published article on delaying cord clamping was in the New Zealand Home Birth Magazine which was then reproduced in the New Zealand Association of Midwives Newsletter. An American magazine called “Mothering” published it in 1986. 24 years ago. My second “rant” on this topic was last year, as part of a talk. Read Full Blog

This afternoon Radio New Zealand, Jim Mora interviewed Professor Bob Williamson (download mp3 here)
about research on stem cells which come from cord blood.  Jim asked Professor Williamson whether there are any ethical issues surrounding cord blood stem cells.  He replied that there weren’t.   Read Full Blog