Is there a difference in blood volume in collecting blood ex utero compared to in utero?
A study has shown that there may be slightly higher blood volumes taken when the blood is collected in utero, however there was no significant difference in the stem cell counts of the blood that was taken from either method. The over-riding factors are the timing of this and the midwife’s priorities for newborn and mother’s care e.g. time to skin-to-skin contact, maternal haemorrhage etc.
