You or may not have heard of cord blood banking.  Further to that you may or may not know that it is a good idea to bank umbilical cord blood.

Well, however much or little you may know about it all we hope to give you a quick overview as to why you should bank your baby’s cord blood.

What is cord blood banking?

A quick intro to what it is and what the process entails.

Cord blood banking is the process by which the blood from the umbilical cord, the cord tissue and the placenta can be collected and stored using a private banking service. More specifically you would be saving the stem cells contained within these things.

The process is non-invasive and does not affect you or your birth plan. The collection happens after the baby is born, the cord is cut, and the placenta is delivered. Then a specially trained phlebotomist, which if you don’t have one available already will be provided for you, will complete the collection in another room.

The three things you or your birth partner have to remember are…

• Bring the kit that was provided for you

• Call the phlebotomist once labour has begun

• Contact and hand over your samples to a courier

And that’s it. Easy peasy.

The Safety Net

The biggest reason to save your baby’s cord blood is that it provides them with a safety net for the future.

The stem cells contained in the blood and tissue are currently used in the treatment of over 80 conditions worldwide. These include blood disorders like leukaemia and anaemia as well as diseases like diabetes.

These little cells have huge potential too as research and clinical trials are occurring all the time.

Normally when it comes to treatment involving stem cells, an individual would have to join a donor list. The goal is to find a perfect match if possible but usually, it will be a partial match. The individual will need to take immunosuppressants to ensure their body doesn’t reject these cells.

If you have your baby’s stem cells stored, should they need them, they will have access to a 100% to themselves. They will never have to take drugs to prevent rejection and can get the treatment they need quicker than being on a donor list.

The Family

Better yet, it isn’t just your baby who will potentially benefit from this. There is a good chance that these stem cells could be a match to relatives.

The closest match would be to a sibling. There is a 25% chance of siblings being a full match and a 50% chance of being a partial match which could still be used in treatment.

There is a smaller chance that a child will match a parent but there is still a chance at all.

Conclusion

Storing your baby’s stem cells should be something you consider during your pregnancy. Cells4Life has multiple options available to you to make it as accessible as possible.

If you need any further information don’t hesitate to reach out or order your free welcome pack today.

For further information on genomic sequencing please look at the Genomic England website.

None of the information on this website pertains to medical advice. For medical advice and support with your healthcare please speak to your designated Healthcare provider.