What to Expect from Cord Blood Banking

Guest Post

As a former L&D nurse, I have had patients who collected and banked their cord blood for various reasons. It is something that might be worth thinking about and investigating further if you are expecting.

Thank you Alexandra Maxwell for sharing this information with us today! 

– Lori 🙂

Cord blood banking

When I first heard the term cord blood banking, I was unsure about what it involved.  I was unclear about exactly what cord blood is, what is so special about it, and whether the procedure for obtaining it would be complicated or painful.  Most importantly, I wanted to be certain that the whole process of cord blood banking would pose no medical dangers.  These are almost certainly the same thoughts that occupy most expectant mothers when they first hear about this procedure.  However, on looking further into the matter, I discovered that the process for cord blood banking is, in fact, very straightforward and safe.  Moreover, I discovered that there are many potential uses for cord blood that could save lives in the future.

What is Cord Blood Banking?

The ‘cord’ in the term cord blood refers to the umbilical cord; this is the place from which cord blood is taken.  On researching cord blood further, I found that it is considered to be of great medical value.  This is because the blood in the umbilical cord is particularly rich in stem cells, and stem cells can be very effective in the treatment of a number of diseases that could affect a young child.  I certainly wanted my child to have the best medical support possible, so the notion of having cord blood available was immediately appealing.  Moreover, researchers are regularly discovering more situations in which the stem cells from cord blood can be used.  These include helping to treat several forms of cancer and blood disorders, with leukemia being a particularly hot area of research.

Procedure, storage, and donation

The process of collecting cord blood takes place following the actual delivery of the baby and the placenta, after the umbilical cord has been cut during the normal birth procedure.  This means that the collection of cord blood does not occur directly from either the mother or the child; the blood is taken without requiring an additional invasive procedure.

Following the procedure, the storage of the blood is much the same as it is for regular blood that is collected from donors.  The blood is passed to a collection center, tested, and subsequently cryogenically preserved.  I was also interested to learn that mothers can either donate cord blood to a central cord blood bank, or can take advantage of a special plan in which the cord blood is kept specifically for their own child as a practical form of health insurance.

Benefits of cord blood banking

Although the use of cord blood in the treatment of leukemia stood out to me as one of the most potentially important benefits, cord blood can also be used to help treat other diseases and conditions.  Cord blood is being investigated for use in the treatment of type 1 diabetes, for example, and I found several other examples of ongoing studies to find even more uses for the stem cells that are taken from cord blood.  In effect, many regenerative treatments can utilize cord blood stem cells, as these cells have a special capacity to transform themselves.

We are still in the early stages of discovering all the benefits of cord blood banking, but I did learn enough to decide that it was the right choice for me.

Did you decide on cord blood banking for your family?

If so – what was the reason you decided to do it?

If not – what was the reason you decided not to do it?

Let us know – as I know there are moms out there who are thinking about what to do.

Thanks!

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