LiveSmart: Give the Gift of Healing with Placenta Donation

[This piece was written by Carla Barberis-Ryan, MHSA, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Director, Women’s & Children’s Services at St. Peter’s Hospital.]

You are expecting the arrival of a new baby – congratulations! It is an exciting moment and you’ve undoubtedly made a lot of plans in preparation. From choosing where you are going to give birth, to who will be in the delivery room, to the pediatrician you’ll see after the birth – it can seem like the choices and decisions are never-ending!

If you are having a planned C-section delivery, there is one more decision that you may not have known about. The birth of your baby has the opportunity to touch the lives of others through the gift of placenta donation.

St. Peter’s Hospital has partnered with the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) to offer you and your family this opportunity. MTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality tissue for: Cancer patients in need of tumor surgery; patients undergoing reconstruction surgeries; and patients with chronic wounds.

After giving birth, your body naturally expels the placenta, which nourished your baby while you were pregnant. While your placenta is normally discarded after birth, with your permission it can be used to help others in need.

All donations of organs and tissues, including placental donations, are done altruistically to help others. and there is no cost to you to donate. Your decision to share this gift will not affect the birth or medical care of you or your baby.

It’s easy to participate – once you decide to donate, tell your physician and hospital that you are donating your placenta. Call MTF at (888) 877-3871 to speak with a coordinator who will answer your questions and schedule a time to complete donation documentation over the phone.

St. Peter’s Hospital, an affiliate of St. Peter’s Health Partners, last year was named as the first hospital in the Capital Region to earn the international “Baby-Friendly” designation. For more information on Baby Friendly USA, please visit: www.babyfriendlyusa.org

For information on delivering a baby at St. Peter’s Hospital, as well as information on placental donation, lactation support groups, breastfeeding classes, infant care, or parenting classes, please call (518) 525-1388 or visit http://www.sphcs.org/WomensHealth