Who collects the cord blood?

Only a trained medical professional who is operating under Cells4Life’s Human Tissue Authority licence is able to undertake stem cell harvesting, which is why in most cases, we assign you with a one of our trained phlebotomists to carry out the collection.

Sometimes your doctor or midwife may also be licenced, in which case you will be able to choose whether the collection is performed by them, or one of our phlebotomy team.

What happens when I go in to labour?

At the first signs of labour, you should contact your phlebotomist to let them know that baby will be arriving soon and update them with any significant changes in the progression of your birth. They will use their extensive experience to decide when to leave for the hospital, ensuring that they are set-up and ready in time for the third stage of labour and subsequent cord blood collection. The collection process then takes place in a separate room, giving you and your family uninterrupted time to get to know your new baby.

How does it get back to the lab?

With stem cells – time is of the essence. We aim to process our UK cord blood samples within 24 hours of collection to ensure the greatest number of living cells. This is why our dedicated medical courier and laboratory are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

What if I need more help?

Our customer care team is available to deal with the unexpected or emergencies 24 hours a day. Whether labour has come on suddenly, you have left your cord blood collection kit at home, or anything else – our advisors are on hand to help in whatever they can. We can almost always make sure a cord blood collection takes place, no matter how little time we have to organise everything.

Stem cell harvesting is a simple, safe & painless process and our 24-hour support ensures we are here to help whenever baby decides to arrive.