Considerations During Pregnancy: Cord Blood Banking
While Virginia Women's Center is not affiliated with any blood banks, nor do we endorse any, we do know that expectant parents often have lots of questions about cord blood banking. We hope that this information will help educate you to make the best decision for you and your family.
Cord blood, located in a baby's umbilical cord and in a mother's placenta after birth, contains blood-forming stem cells. Most cells have the ability to replicate themselves. Stem cells, on the other hand, have the ability to mature into different kinds of cells. Because of this property, the stem cells found in cord blood can be used to treat a variety of illnesses, including disorders of the blood, immune system and metabolism. As researchers continue to use stem cells, new ways of treating disease may be discovered in the future.
The cord blood will be collected by your health care provider at the hospital following your baby's birth. The umbilical cord will be clamped and blood will be drawn from the cord with a needle that has a bag attached. After the bag is sealed, the placenta will be delivered. The cord blood collection will only take about ten minutes and it is a risk free and pain free procedure. There are some scenarios where not enough cord blood can be collected. Reasons for this could include that the baby is premature or there are multiple babies that share a placenta. Sometimes there may be complications during delivery that cause this to happen and other times the reason is unknown.
To continue reading, visit our Web site. |
|
Wellness and Well-being: The Importance of Vacations
 | | Lisa Cuseo-Ott, Ph.D. |
By Lisa Cuseo-Ott, Ph.D.
What do you associate with the word "vacation"? Does it conjure up images of a tropical beach, European site-seeing trip or a road trip resembling Chevy Chase's "Vacation"? However we choose to spend our leisure time, it is clearly a very important part of maintaining a healthy, balanced life.
Despite the psychological importance of taking a vacation, it is surprising to note that Americans are using less vacation time than ever. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average American man works 100 hours more a year than in the1970's, while the average American woman works 200 hours more a year. While the average American worker takes 12 days of vacation per year, 65% of American employees failed to use their vacation time in 2010. This is a stark contrast to the Europeans who take an average of 24 vacation days per year.
 In our U.S. society that underemphasizes leisure and overemphasizes consumption, it is easy to get caught up in the trap of trying to appear "hard working" by not taking vacation time or taking work with us on vacation. This is a dangerous pattern as it leads to increasing stress and less overall productivity in our workforce. According to a 2009 Vacation Deprivation Survey, 53% of employed U.S. adults report feeling rested and rejuvenated after vacation as well as reconnected with their families. In addition, 34% of those surveyed state that they come back from vacation feeling better about their jobs and are more productive at work.
To continue reading, visit our Web site. |
