Cord blood banking is a relatively new technology that allows parents to store the cord blood of their newborn babies. The stored cord blood contains a source of stem cells, which can be used to help treat several blood diseases and bone marrow dysfunctions. The donor, a close family member and even a complete stranger would be able to benefit from a specific banked cord blood sample.
One of the biggest benefits of banking your child’s cord blood is that there is no harm posed to the donor or their mother. Bone marrow collection can be intrusive and painful to the donor, but cord blood banking does not require the donor to undergo any additional procedures in order for their unit to be collected.
Instead, the doctors clamp and cut the umbilical cord as they would in any normal childbirth. The unit is then placed into a secure bag and transferred to the storage facility.
Should you choose to store you cord blood with a private bank, the unit will be exclusively available for your own use at an additional cost. If you are donating your cord blood, there is no charge for collection or storage, but the sample becomes available to the first child that is a match for the unit. So, if your child falls ill, they may not have their own cord blood sample to treat their illness. This gives private banking some advantages over public banking, but it is up to parents to decide what best suits their needs.
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