3, 2, 1, Contact

I received a phone call today from the Nurse Practitioner who works with Dr. Kurtzburg at Duke University doing the Cord Blood infusions with Hydro babies.  She was extremely nice and walked me through the entire process.
There is an option to deliver at Duke, so Meagan can have the stem cells as soon as possible - however, this is quite a logistical nightmare with our other girls' schedules and 2 of them being in school.  As much as we'd love to do that, it is also important we keep our regular schedule, routine, and surroundings for our other 4 daughters since there will already be so many changes after Meagan is born.
We are opting to deliver here with my regular OB - whom I completely trust.  The Nurse Practitioner explained to me that Duke would send us a Cord Blood Collection Kit 4-6 weeks before Meagan's birth.  I have to take it to my OB, go over the process at my appointment, then I am to take the kit home with me until delivery day.  On delivery day, I bring the kit with me, and Meagan's cord blood is collected at birth.  Brian then has to call Duke and let them know her cord blood is on the way, and they will 'pencil me in' for an appointment within 4-6 weeks for Meagan's infusion.
After Meagan is checked over, and shunted, she will be in the NICU.  When she is released from the NICU, we are to then contact Duke again to let them know of her approval to go home/travel.

She said the way it normally works is to arrive on a Sunday, check in, and then come back on Monday for all the clinical checks (thorough physical exam, possible bloodwork, review of all MRIs, scans, and discharge papers Meagan received from her birth).  Then, we go in Tuesday for the infusion - apparently the infusion itself only takes 10-15 minutes, but, she will be there a good part of the day for prep and after-infusion procedures.  We can take her home (or to our hotel) that day, and we have to stay the night.  Once she gets the all clear the next morning from the doctor at Duke, we are clear to drive home!

She said if they get a good capture of the cord blood, babies can have anywhere from 2-4 infusions since they are so tiny.  They will follow up with us by phone and if and when Meagan gets another infusion, we set that up with them and go through the process again. 

She was VERY nice and explained alot - I feel like I have a little better grasp of this procedure and what exactly our schedule will be at the time we travel to Duke. Another great day of information gathering!