Preserving your newborn’s umbilical cord blood stem cells can provide a life-long medical benefit.
What makes your baby’s umbilical cord blood so
special?
Your baby’s umbilical cord blood is so special due to a component
of the cord blood known as stem cells. The stem cells serve as a “blood
factory” and have the capacity to reproduce and to repopulate all
types of blood cells, such as red blood cells which carry oxygen through
the body, or white blood cells which protect from infections and help
to fight diseases. Stem cells are extremely potent cell having the ability
to permanently reconstitute the entire blood production system as well
the entire immune system.
Why should the decision about cord blood storage be
made?
Preserved cord blood stem cells may be considered a form of life insurance
for your child. This may be especially true if past or present family
members have a history of malignancies like leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma,
neuroblastoma, or non-malignant (often hereditary) diseases.
Stem cells may be used to treat a number of other diseases in the future. The cells can be available immediately when needed. Immediate treatment minimizes disease progression and offers the best prognosis. The total cost of obtaining and preserving stem cells is much lower than bone marrow. Not only is the process absolutely painless, but the use of stem cells produces better results.
How and when is cord blood collected and stored?
Stem cells are collected after the birth of your child in a quick and
painless, risk-free procedure. The delivering physician or someone on
the delivery room staff removes the blood from the cut umbilical cord
and placenta before discarding it (causing no discomfort to the mother
or newborn). Next, the cord blood is placed in a special transporting
container and, within the next 24 hour period, is delivered to the lab,
processed, and stored in the cryogenic bank. Research indicates these
cells can last indefinitely. Each specimen, privately registered and uniquely
labeled, can be accessed and retrieved only by you or your child at the
age of consent.
When should parents decide to store baby's cord blood?
It’s important to make a decision related to cord blood storage before
the birth of your child. The opportunity to collect and preserve your
child’s umbilical cord or placenta blood comes, literally, once in
a lifetime. If not collected at birth, this irreplaceable source of stem
cells would be lost forever. Such a vital decision should not be made
at a time when you have a high degree of anxiety, just minutes before
or during the birth of your baby. Talk to your obstetrician about this
option in advance. Invest in your child’s future: It’s a once
in a lifetime opportunity.