What Is Cord Blood Banking?
August 17, 2008
When a mother is still pregnant with her child, the umbilical cord is actually considered as the lifeline between the mother and the baby. Once the umbilical cord has been discarded after the baby?s birth, then you will lose the chance of being able to obtain precious cells that the cord contains which are an exact match with your baby and that you can have preserved. By preserving your baby?s stem cells through cord blood banking, your baby will be ensured to have a guaranteed source for perfectly matched cells that can help your child during unfortunate events (like a life threatening illness). These cells would actually come in handy when it comes to combating this disease. All you have to do is just have it set up during the time of your delivery.
But what exactly are diseases that the cord blood banking will help you save your child from? Stem cells that are preserved due to the cord blood banking can actually help a child be cured of the following life-threatening illnesses: leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, Hodgkin?s disease, aplastic anemia, various other cancers, sickle cell anemia, blood diseases, hereditary/genetic conditions and various immune system disorders. There are actually an approximate of 14 million new cancer cases that are being recoded every year. Single cell transplants that can be brought about by cord blood banking can also be used for the treatment of ling cancer, AIDS, lupus, multiple sclerosis as well as many other genetic diseases.
There is no risk, either to the mother or her baby, in collecting umbilical cord blood. On the contrary, peripheral or bone marrow blood stem cell collection requires the donor to pass through insidious medical procedure and there is a risk of infection.
However, if another child who has not gone through the cord blood banking process is actually needing some stem cells to help fight off a life-threatening disease, it is highly important to note that they can also be used for a sibling since it will possibly a close match for them. But there is the 1:4 chances for the cord blood banking to be proven as beneficial for the other child. Relatives or other close friends who haven?t gone through cord blood banking may also benefit from the stem cells that can be derived from cord blood banking if and only if they will pose a close match with the cord blood banking donor?s stem cells.
But how does one actually collect stem cells for cord blood banking? Well, the collection process for cord blood banking will actually take place right after the delivery of a baby wherein the cord has already been separated from the newborn infant. This is in no way will be able to interfere with the birth of the baby. The attending physician or nurse or even midwife will be the one to collect the cord blood for the cord blood banking by utilizing it in a sterile kit which will be provided by the Cord Partners Blood Center. The collected cord blood will then be sealed in a specially designed package for cord blood banking and will then be delivered to the cord blood banking laboratory for the testing as well as the processing. In the end, the sample will be cryogenically stored for the cord blood banking until it is needed by the owner.
Another concern by mothers when it comes to cord blood banking is how safe will cord blood banking be for the baby as well as for the mother; if there will be any pain or discomfort involved in the whole cord blood banking process. When it comes to cord blood banking, the first priority will always be the well being of the baby.
The Unites States has several companies dealing with cord blood banking. The most popular among them are Cord Blood Registry and ViaCord. If you are interested in cord blood banking, then you need to take a second look at your wallet.
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