Storing Cord Blood and the Modern Parent

Umbilical Cord blood is stored for future research as well as for potential medical use in future for the baby or the siblings. It is a great source of stem cells which are essential for treatment of different deadly diseases such as cancers. You can save your baby’s cord blood stem cells in a public or private bank, which can later be used or donated to some other person.

Cord blood is derived from the umbilical cord after it is clamped and cut, which means right after a child is born. It is a safe and simple procedure which does not pose any risk or complication to the baby. This procedure takes a maximum of five minutes after the baby is born. Basically, a specialized collection bag is used for collecting the remaining blood of the umbilical cord after it is cut and clamped. The mother and the baby are completely safe during this procedure.

There are various public and private cord blood banks. If you want to donate this cord blood to someone, you would send it to a public blood bank, whereas if you want to keep it for your baby, you would need to go for a private cord blood bank. In the latter case, you would also have to pay a certain fee for the storage facility. The blood is transferred to the blood bank immediately or within a period of 24-48 hours. It is stored at room temperature till then.

After the cord blood reaches the blood bank, specialized tests are performed on it. This ensures that the cord blood is free of any contamination or diseases. Similarly, the mother’s blood is also tested for assessing the health factor. After the blood is tested safe, it is stored. In the blood bank, long term preservation facility is available. So, you can keep it safe for decades without having to worry about any contamination or expiry issues. Research has shown that even after 15 years, the stem cells gained from cord blood had the same composition and conditions as at the time of storage.

Cord blood is available to your baby and even the siblings at a later date if they get any disease. You can even be generous enough to donate it to an unfortunate family member or any individual for that matter, who is in need for stem cell transplant. The basic advantage that this stem cell source offers is less risk of diseases and secondly it fits perfectly with your baby’s needs and a higher rate of matching with the siblings as well.