I'm quite passionate about delayed cord clamping, but also think the idea of storing stem cells is great too. I had a couple of discussions with the people from Cellcare (who were great on the phone) and they basically said that they now have the technology to work out the quantity of stem cells in a blood sample. They used to have a minimum amount of blood that they would store (so if you did delayed cord clamping then couldn't get enough blood it wouldn't get stored). They are now able to determine how rich the blood is with stem cells and if it is rich enough they will still store it. This means that you can do delayed cord clamping and still have stem cells stored if they are able to get a sample that is rich enough in stem cells. No guarantee though and the collection kit costs $500 regardless of whether they get a viable sample or not.

As for ensuring delayed cord clamping in a public hospital, well it should be the same as in a private hospital. Take a copy of your birth plan on paper and give it to the midwives when you first arrive. They should put it on the top of your chart. Make sure your partner of birthing partner also know about it. A good thing is to ask them to let you feel the cord once it has stopped pulsing. It's not a common request, so one that should stand out to them and be remembered. I felt the cord after both of my daughter's were born and confirmed that it had stopped pulsing. The midwives at all three of my births were fantastic about it and even made sure I didn't get the synthetic oxytocin injection while the cord was still attached (as per our request). Remember, the midwives generally really do want you to have the best birth possible, and as that differs for each woman, you need to let them know what your ideal birth would be