The birth of a baby brings joy to the parents who have eagerly awaited the arrival. That birth is also anticipated by people who likely will never meet the family but who will benefit from their decision to participate in a unique donation opportunity.

New mothers at The Birthplace at Conway Medical Center can make an impact on patients all over the nation through the hospital’s partnership with TriForLife Birth Tissue Recovery Group which facilitates placenta donations. Birth tissue donation is a type of living donation that does not impact the health of the mother or the newborn and is recognized as the single largest driver of the overall growth in living tissue donations by the American Association of Tissue Banks.

The program gives expectant mothers the option of donating their placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic membranes when they give birth. Details about the opportunity and its benefit to others will be shared with pregnant women during prenatal visits with their obstetrician. Women who decide to participate will sign a pre-consent form which will be validated at the time of their baby’s delivery. The program is optional and costs nothing for the patient.

Often regarded as medical waste, birth tissue can be processed and used to stimulate healing in a variety of reconstructive procedures, including the healing of chronic wounds and burns, spinal procedures, and corneal eye repair. Beyond these uses, birth tissue supports the development of new treatments for such diseases as cancer through scientific research.

The benefits of birth tissue to fetal development are widely known. Birth tissue helps to nourish the baby in utero throughout the mother’s pregnancy and is typically discarded after the child’s birth. The placenta, commonly referred to as the afterbirth, is a disc of tissue that connects a mother’s uterus to the umbilical cord and delivers nutrients, oxygen, and protective antibodies to the unborn baby. This donation program gives mothers the opportunity to share these life-giving tissues with others once they have served the purpose of their baby’s development in the womb.

As part of the TriForLife program at Conway Medical Center, a Birth Tissue Recovery Technician will provide donation information, answer questions, document the process, preserve the tissue, and arrange for the hospital to draw a sample of the donor’s blood. The blood sample is tested to ensure that there are no communicable disease agents present in the birth mother’s blood that could be transmitted to a recipient of the tissue. That information will be shared with the medical staff for follow-up as appropriate. In all instances, the mother is thanked for her willingness to participate in the program.

Why choose donation?

Birth tissue is an important addition to the medical world. Doctors use birth tissue during spinal surgeries, when performing skin grafts and in treating ophthalmic disease. People with diabetes can also benefit. When used to treat diabetic wounds, birth tissue can prevent risky infections that lead to amputation. These are only a few of the many different ways in which birth tissue can make a difference in the medical community. Best of all, the collection process does not interfere with or affect the birth process or health in any way.

The tissue that sustained your child’s life in the womb could either become medical waste or go on to change the course of another person’s life. When you choose to donate, you are helping people suffering from injuries and illnesses that are otherwise extremely debilitating and often painful to treat. Birth tissue donation is a beautiful way to honor the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth.

Limitless Possibilities

Once a baby is born, he or she no longer needs the placenta and other tissues. In fact, in most cases, the birthing room staff discards these items as medical waste. When mothers agree to donate them, birth tissue can offer relief in hundreds of ways, including these:

• Surgery: As a natural covering of a surgical site, amniotic membrane reduces inflammation and prevents scarring.
• Wound treatment: Traumatic burns, pressure sores, diabetic ulcers or other challenging wounds fail to heal because of inflammation, but natural birth tissue accelerates healing by reducing inflammation.
• Optical uses: Whether an eye wound is the result of a chemical burn, surgery or other injury, a patch of birth tissue speeds healing with a lower risk of scarring that may compromise vision.
• Orthopedic applications: Because of the lower risk of swelling, birth tissue is ideal for spinal surgery, tendon repair and other orthopedic uses.
• Oral applications: Oral surgeons and dentists often prefer to use birth tissue to speed up the healing process for their surgical patients and to treat gum disease by promoting new cell growth in the patient’s own mouth.
• Sports medicine: A rapid recovery is often critical to an athlete, and birth tissue can accelerate the healing of an injury while minimizing the risk of debilitating scarring.

Virtually every branch of medicine can benefit from birth tissue, and researchers continue to discover new uses. Doctors even use cord blood to treat certain cancers. The miraculous properties in birth tissue can promote the body’s own healing process, reduce the amount of pain and suffering a patient may experience, speed patient recovery, and offer fewer negative side effects, such as swelling and scarring.