What Every Parent Must Know About Cord Blood?

Storing Cord blood can be a life savior for your child and your family. Umbilical cord blood is something that has been and still is discarded in most of the child births. However, it is an extremely important source of stem cells or bone marrow that could save the child’s life later on. It could also be donated for medical research. Parents need to be aware of the importance and usage of this essential part of their newborns which is usually discarded by the hospitals.

The cord blood of your new born is rich in stem cells. These cells are found in the bone marrow and all the cells in the blood and immune system are produced by the stem cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells and the platelets. There are a wide range of diseases for which these stem cells can be used, like for transplants and treatments. Matching stem cells are difficult to obtain because of certain specific matching requirements. However, your baby’s cord blood will give stem cells that will be guaranteed match for him/her. Additionally, they also have a high probability of matching up with the siblings. So, your child and siblings will have opportunities in the future for medical treatments concerning life threatening diseases.

Cord blood collection procedure is neither risky nor painful for the mother or the baby. It is collected from the umbilical cord after child birth. A collection kit is used at the time of delivery, and cord blood is collected immediately from the umbilical cord once it has been cut and clamped. There is no risk factor involved because the umbilical cord is collected while normal delivery of the baby. The blood is drawn from the umbilical cord and is collected in a blood collection bag. Venipuncture procedure is used to collect maternal blood so that it can be tested for any diseases.

The cord blood is preserved in processed and tested in state of the art laboratories. It is then stored in specialized facility. The facility will charge a storage fee for providing this storage. Research has shown that this blood can be stored for as long as 15 years and is made available whenever needed. Umbilical cord blood might seem to be a piece of waste; however, it could be a life savior for your child. Spending a little money now can go a long way in saving your child’s life later in his life, if God forbid he/she suffers from a disease.