Your baby's umbilical cord blood can save a life
After delivery, parents have the option to preserve their baby’s umbilical cord blood — the blood that remains in the umbilical cord vein and placenta at the time of birth. This blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells, which have the ability to form into a wide variety of blood cells.
The versatility of hematopoietic stems cells makes them useful in treating many diseases, including anemias, inherited metabolic disorders and certain cancers.
At MultiCare, you can choose to donate your baby’s umbilical cord blood or store it for your family’s potential future use.
How cord blood is collected and why it's beneficial
In the past, cord blood was routinely discarded. While that still often happens today, we now know that retaining the blood is beneficial. Cord blood is collected immediately after delivery, when the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, without causing any pain to the mother or baby. Collection only takes a few minutes. If complications occur during or just after birth, cord blood will not be collected.
While those few ounces of blood may not seem like much, the stem cells contained within the blood can help save a life. Each day, there are thousands of critically ill people in the United States in need of a stem cell transplant to treat cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. Cord blood is a vital source of stem cells for these patients.
You and your baby may also benefit from the diagnostic tests performed on the donated blood. These tests can uncover potential medical issues, such as infection, high bilirubin levels (a sign of liver disease) or low oxygen levels.
Weigh your options — donate or save
Parents can choose to donate their baby’s cord blood to a public bank or pay to store it privately. If you do not choose one of these options, your baby’s cord blood will be discarded as medical waste.
Donate to a public bank
Donating your baby’s cord blood to a public bank may help save the life of someone with a life-threatening condition. The donation process is free. Once cord blood is donated, it is stored until needed. The list of donated cord blood is managed by the National Marrow Donor Program and is known as the Be the Match registry.
Store privately
Choosing to privately store your baby’s cord blood is referred to as family banking. This option ensures that the cord blood and stem cells will be available for your family’s exclusive use, should you need it. MultiCare partners with Cryo-Cell International, a leader in cord blood banking, to help parents choose the best option regarding storage.
When cord blood is privately stored, parents retain ownership of the blood until a child reaches the age specified in the services contract, which is usually 18. At that time, ownership of the cord blood transfers to the child.
There are fees associated with private storage. Typically, families choosing private storage complete the enrollment process before their baby is born.
If you are interested in family banking or donating, please discuss these options with your health care provider. Let your labor and delivery team know of your decision, as some arrangements may need to be made prior to your baby’s arrival.
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