Megan Schmitz is a busy stay-at-home mom to a 7-year-old stepson, a 3-year-old daughter, and a 15-month-old son. As any parent of little ones knows, each day is an adventure. But sometimes those adventures begin sooner than anticipated. That was certainly true for Megan after she developed severe preeclampsia with her first pregnancy.
“I went in for a blood pressure check, and we never left,” Megan said. “I tried to give birth, and it wasn’t working, so we had to do an unplanned C-section.”
Thankfully, the procedure went smoothly, and she gave birth to her baby girl, Cora. “She was exactly a month early,” Megan said.
Given the complications that occurred with Cora’s birth, Megan didn’t want to take any risks with her son Mack.
“After the pain and stress of my first experience, I knew months in advance that I would have a C-section. By the time we discussed my birth plan, the decision was already set.”
Because Megan’s C-section was scheduled in advance, she became eligible for Versiti’s placenta donation program. Through placenta donation, tissue from Mack’s birth could become part of another patient’s healing journey.
“I remember just thinking, ‘Oh, I guess I didn’t even know this was a thing,’” Megan said.
Placenta donations require several prerequisites, and a planned C-section is one of them. When her doctor asked if she’d be interested in donating her placenta, Megan didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“To me, it was a no-brainer,” Megan said. “If you can do something to help others while you’re in this process, why not?”
Megan appreciated how effortless the donation experience was for her. There were no bureaucratic hoops to jump through or extra steps.
“I didn’t have to do anything extra besides sign (some paperwork)," Megan said. “That was all that had to be done."
Awareness continues to grow, and Megan hopes that when her kids reach parenting age, placenta donation will be more widely known, and maybe even routine.
In the meantime, she has a simple message for all the mothers considering placenta donation:
“If you’re able to have a baby, why not turn that experience into a way to help someone else, too?”
Give the Gift of Healing After Birth
If you have a planned C-section, you may be able to donate your placenta and help patients with serious burns and hard-to-heal wounds. Placenta donation does not affect the birth or medical care of you or your baby, and the placenta is collected after delivery.
Talk with your doctor about how you can participate in Versiti’s placenta donation program, or learn more about placenta donation.
