Cord Blood Banking: What Is It and Is It Worth It?
Cord blood banking is the storage of blood extracted from a newborn’s umbilical cord or placenta for safekeeping for later use. Cord blood is made up of stem cells which help to treat different types of diseases.
Cord blood extraction
Cord blood can only be extracted once a mother gives birth. The extraction process is painless and extremely safe for the baby and the mother. Furthermore, it does not affect labor or delivery. It is even faster for parents. The baby usually does not know what is happening.
Clamping and cutting the cord
Once a mother gives birth, which can either be through the vagina or c-section, the doctors clamp the cord and cut it in a normal manner. A mother can also talk to her healthcare provider to delay clamping. But she should do this before she gives birth so that the doctor may advice her on the options available. Cord delay is usually from 30 to 60 seconds for healthy full term babies.
Collecting the cord blood
Your healthcare provider will then inject you with a needle into the umbilical vein to the section attached to the placenta. The needle won’t touch the baby. The blood will then move into a collection bag. Generally, doctors collect between 1 and 5 ounces of blood. The process takes around 10 minutes.
Banking
The blood is then transferred to a cord blood bank. Here, it is tested, processed, and the preserved through controlled freezing for future use, but it has to be according to acceptable quality standards. Certain people prefer collecting cord blood banks together with a section of the umbilical cord. Umbilical cord tissue features stem cells that are not the same as umbilical cord blood stem cells. Studies are still undergoing for their possible use.
