There is absolutely no pain or risk associated with collecting cord blood stem cells. This
procedure takes place immediately after the birth of the baby, and takes only a few minutes. When collecting cord blood stem cells, the medical team will simply clamp the umbilical cord after the removal of the baby, and begin the flow of umbilical cord blood into the collection system.

Collecting cord blood stem cells is an uncomplicated procedure as it takes place after
delivery. This is unlike the harvesting of stem cells from bone marrow which requires a
surgical procedure under anesthesia, is painful and invasive, and costly.

There are some eligibility guidelines that have to be met for collecting cord blood stem
cells. The donor must be 18 years or older, in good health and free from several infectious diseases as regulated by the FDA and CDC. For example, it is not recommended that a private bank accept a specimen from a mother who has a history of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, West Nile Virus or Chagas’ Disease. Public banks have additional requirements which include rejection of donations from those who have had tattoos in the past twelve months.

As long as the woman is in good health, and is living in a community where collecting
cord blood stem cells is available, it is possible to donate the baby’s cord blood. Mothers have to choose the participating cord blood bank and consult her doctor for guidance

After collecting cord blood stem cells, the cord blood is sent to the cord blood bank to be
stored for potential future use. It may even be possible to use a privately stored cord blood specimen for another family member. Statistics and research show that there is a 1 in 2 chance that the baby’s cord blood stem cells would be a match for the biological mother and father and a 1 in 4 chance of being a match for biological siblings.

Collecting cord blood stem cells is not at all harmful to the mother or the infant donor. Umbilical cord blood is collected immediately after delivery.  However, it is important to note, if there are any complications in delivery, there is a chance that your medical caregiver will be unable to collect a specimen of cord blood stem cells.

When collecting cord blood stem cells, the umbilical cord is clamped after birth. This breaks the link between the baby and placenta. After this, the trained medical staff drains the cord blood from the placenta and umbilical cord. There are different ways for collecting cord blood stem cells, but all have the same purpose.

A needle is usually used for collecting cord blood stem cells into a blood bag, and this procedure takes approximately five minutes. Many companies have different methods of collecting cord blood.  Most companies today use the gravity bag collection system.  Some companies still use the syringe method and many public banks continue to use this method.  The collection style can also be determined based upon the type of delivery, vaginal delivery or cesarean section. Whichever the method, the mother’s cord blood is collected first using a venipuncture.

Colleting cord blood stem cells takes place after birth in both methods using a specific, pre-ordered kit from their chosen cord blood bank.  It is only after the baby is safely delivered that cord blood is collected.  The amount of blood collected during the procedure is essential as there is a direct correlation between the volume collected and the number of critical stem cells that can be recovered.

After the harvesting of cord blood stem cells, the blood is then shipped overnight taken to the cord blood bank. Research has shown that optimal cell levels can be recovered within 24-28 hours after the delivery of the baby.  It is here that the cord blood specimen should be processed, tested and cryogenically stored in quarantine until infectious disease test results received.  A cord blood company should be using a barcode system to avoid identification errors.  After this, when required, blood forming stem cells are thawed and used either in autologous or allogeneic procedures.

In autologous procedures, a person receives his or her own cord blood in a transplant, while in allogeneic procedures, a person receives cord blood that is donated from someone else like a sibling, close relative or someone anonymous. So, you can see that there are many benefits to collecting cord blood stem cells; this blood can save not only the donor, but also others from many life threatening diseases.

The practice of collecting cord blood stem cells as part of the birthing process is a procedure that has been in existence since the year 1988. During that year the first cord blood transplant was done, and since then, more than 8,000 transplants have taken place. Today, thousands of parents are using this once in a lifetime opportunity of collecting cord blood stem cells to be available later for possibly treating health problems.

Not until 1995, however was collecting cord blood stem cells made widely available. The cord blood is collected immediately after birth of the baby once the umbilical cord has been cut. The medical caregiver normally collects the specimen.  This blood used to be discarded as medical waste.  The procedure of collecting cord blood stem cells does not in any way alter normal birth-related procedures. The efficiency of collecting a cord blood stem cell sample is dependant on the amount of cord blood that is collected. The larger the stem cell sample amount that is collected, the better its survival rate of cells in transplant. It is possible to choose the collection method for cord blood by either the syringe or gravity blood bag.

So far, more than 25,000 doctors have been collecting cord blood stem cells in more than 3,000 hospitals and birth centers in the US and more than 72 foreign countries. The practice is rapidly increasing and a growing number of doctors and hospitals are using the procedure of collecting cord blood stem cells with advanced training and technological resources.

It is important to note, however, that there is no risk to the child or the mother when collecting cord blood stem cells, as this is done after the baby is born and after the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. This procedure is painless, safe and easy for both mother and baby, and there is no change whatever in the normal delivery process of the baby. The average amount of time required for collecting cord blood stem cells is about 5 minutes.

Once you have decided to collect and store your baby’s cord blood, a cord blood company must be chosen.  The cord blood company will be responsible for providing the cord blood collection kit, assisting you in arranging for delivery of the specimen to their laboratory, processing and testing the cord blood specimen and ultimately cryogenically storing the specimen for your family.

The discovery of many uses for cord blood stem cells is a great achievement in medical science.  Cord blood banking is considered a potential life saving process.  Cord blood may be used for treating numerous genetic and blood diseases.

Umbilical cord blood has been shown to treat or ameliorate over 40 diseases and disorders including many blood cancers, immune disorders, Lupus, anemia.  Some diseases would not be suitable for the donor themselves but instead would be suitable for a matching recipient.

The field of cord blood research has recently made many new discoveries including successful human clinical trials in the area of Type 1 diabetes, Cerebral Palsy and heart disease.  There are studies continuing in the United States and abroad that include research on Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, spinal cord injuries and stroke.

In addition, cord blood stem cells have a lower risk of graft versus host disease (rejection issues)  when compared to bone marrow transplants therefore allowing for a greater range of finding a donor/recipient.  Cord blood also provides an option that is more affordable, less painful and less invasive than traditional bone marrow transplants.

Considering the benefits of cord blood banking, many expectant couples are opting to collect and store their family’s cord blood to safeguard their family’s future. Couples who cannot afford to pay for private cord blood storage may want to consider donating their cord blood to a public cord blood bank.

Stem cell preservation is a medical breakthrough with immense possibilities for mankind. Expectant mothers, in particular, maybe very interested in collecting cord blood, because this blood may be used in the future to cure life-threatening conditions not only for the baby, but also potentially for its siblings and possibly unrelated recipients. There is absolutely no risk involved for the mother and child during cord blood collection for the stem cell preservation process.

In addition to cord blood stem cells being used to treat over 40 different diseases and disorders ranging from blood cancers to immune disorders, stem cells in general are currently being studied, with great success, in treating a myriad of diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, Cerebral Palsy, spinal cord injuries and organ regeneration.

Current estimates indicate that approximately 1 in 3 Americans could benefit from regenerative medicine, and children whose cord blood stem cells are available for their own potential use could be among the first to benefit from new therapies as they become available. With autologous (the person’s own) cells, there is no risk of an immune system rejecting the cells, so physicians and researchers are only performing these potential cord blood therapies on children who have their own stem cells available.1

As a result, it can be inferred that stem cell preservation is a form of insurance and security for your future life, which may potentially be used in the future.

1Harris DT, et al. (2007). “The potential of cord blood stem cells for use in regenerative medicine.”. Expert Opin. Biol. Ther. 7 (9): 1311–1322. doi:10.1517/14712598.7.9.1311. PMID 17727322.

In the past decade, most new parents have been given a choice of banking their baby’s cord blood or donating it to a public storage bank.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that is available when your baby is born and before the umbilical cord is discarded.  Collecting cord blood from the umbilical cord is a five minute procedure and will not hurt the mother or more importantly, the baby.   Umbilical cord blood stem cells are now being used to treat many malignant and non-malignant diseases and new uses for stem cells are being discovered everyday!

A lot of people ask why they should preserve cord blood and the answer is simple.  As most women are aware, during pregnancy the umbilical cord is the lifeline between mothers and their unborn babies.  Most of the time, after the delivery the umbilical cord is cut and then discarded.  The stem cells that are in the cord blood are also discarded.   These stem cells are an exact genetic match for the child.  If you were to preserve them, you would be guaranteeing your child a source of perfectly matched stem cells in the event that they were to develop a life threatening disease that could be treated using these cells.

Stem cells are used to treat a variety of diseases such as leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, along with other cancers, blood diseases and some immune system disorders.  Researchers are striving to make stem cell transplants of use in fighting AIDS, Lupus, lung cancer and Multiple Sclerosis. The reason why they are so valuable is that stem cells have been known as the building blocks of blood and the immune system and also other tissues in our bodies.   They can also transform into other cell types such as red blood cells and white blood cells and platelets.  This is what makes them so valuable.   They can replace other cells in our body that are abnormal, weakened or ruined by disease. In fact one of the main uses of stem cells is to replace abnormal bone marrow cells.

Collecting cord blood stem cells has become a common practice in modern medicine and can be addressed by the OBGYN as the expectant mom during the first trimester of pregnancy. If you’re an expectant mom, undoubtedly health and wellness for you and baby are at the very top of your priority list, as it should be. When thinking about talking to your doctor or midwife about collecting cord blood stem cells, it’s understandable that you have many details on your mind. However, the life saving process of collecting cord blood stem cells is one of the most important contributions you and your baby can make to your family.

The Ease of Collecting Cord Blood Stem Cells

First off – what does collecting cord blood stem cells entail? At the time of birth there is a golden opportunity to capture and harvest one of the human body’s truly restorative assets – stem cells from the umbilical cord blood. This blood has a particularly high density of a special type of blood cell, known as a hematopoietic cell, and in fact millions of cells are gathered in just 75 milliliters (about 1/3 of a cup), which is the average draw from the umbilical cord. This blood is transported to a lab and is frozen to the temperature of -190 degrees. These rich blood cells are frozen immediately in a cryogenic state.

If you are getting a little uncomfortable at the thought of an additional procedure, relax. Collecting cord blood stem cells is a painless process, and one that doesn’t interrupt or interfere with the baby’s delivery in any way. So take a moment to consider additional details about why collecting cord blood stem cells is such a life enhancing procedure.

What are stem cells?

In short, stem cells are the key components within the body for generating all other tissues, organs and systems in the body. Isn’t that remarkable? Stem cells in cord blood are the building blocks of the blood coursing through our veins and immune system. These cells are highly adaptable and can readily replicate into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. That’s why collecting cord blood stem cells is so vital.

Red blood cells are important because they carry oxygen to all the cells in the body; white blood cells are responsible for fighting infection; and platelets aid in clotting when you’re injured. With these prime components set aside for use at a later time, doctors (using stem cells) are able to help the body recover from diseases like leukemia, breast cancer, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease, Aplastic Anemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, various cancers, blood diseases, hereditary/genetic conditions and immune system disorders.

Important key points to remember concerning collecting cord blood stem cells, are first, the process of collecting cord blood stem cells is simple, second, the stem cells are key ingredients for generating all other tissues, organs and systems in the body; and third, their use is valuable in treating a litany of diseases.

Research shows that the blood that comes from a baby’s umbical cord is a rich source of stem cells.   Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into other tissues and blood vessels and can be used to treat a variety of diseases.   Up until recently stem cells came from bone marrow, but because these were usually matured stem cells they had an increase chance of being rejected.   Stem cells that are found in the umbical cord are still immature and haven’t learned to attack any foreign substances which makes them less likely to be rejected.

Research is being done that shows cord blood, and the stem cells found in this blood, could be used in the future to treat people with diabetes, heart failure, stroke and even some neurological disorders.   Keep in mind that the use of stem cells is still being researched and tested thoroughly and according to researchers we are still in the early stages of understanding the full potential of stem cells.

Other benefits of stem cells is their ability to go through numerous cycles of cell division and the capacity to differentiate into specialized cell types. By doing this, using stem cells is the best option for replacing cells that have been damaged by diseases such as cancer.    They are also the basis for the embryo when it first develops and are present in the umbical cord and placenta.  This is why so many companies have been offering new parents not just the opportunity to donate their baby’s cord blood which is full of stem cells, but to store their baby’s cord blood privately for use of the child only or for an immediate family member.

Even though stem cell research has been a huge debate in the medical world, there is no denying all the potential benefits they offer.   There have been numerous amounts of stem cell transplants that were successful and gave people a second chance at life.

When my husband and I found out we were expecting our second child this Thanksgiving, the first thing we did was jump online and sign up on all the baby sites for free baby things.   Pretty soon our mail box was being filled with all sorts of coupons and advertisements, among them, companies offering to bank our baby’s cord blood.

Cord blood, for those who may not know, is the blood that remains in the umbical cord and the placenta following birth.   We all know that the placenta and umbical cord play an extremely important role during pregnancy.  It is the life line for our babies.  After delivery the blood in the umbical cord could save not only your baby’s life if need be, but others too.   The reason is because of the extensive amount of stem cells found in the blood that can be used in the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases.    Usually, these cells work best when they are used in the patients own body but you do not have to store cord blood just for your baby.  There are many options.

First, you can store the blood in a private family cord blood bank.  This is where the blood is collected and stored should your child or matching family member ever need it.  While it gives some parent’s peace of mind that there is some form of treatment available should something ever happen to their children, there is a cost.  First, some companies charge anywhere in the vicinity of $1700 just to collect the blood.  Second, the blood is stored long term using cyopreservation and there is usually a yearly fee for storage.   Some companies offer payment plans to help out.

You can also donate to a public bank.   Donating your baby’s cord blood is not going to cost you anything, and you could be saving someone’s life.   In order to do this, find out if your hospital collects the umbilical cord blood donations and work with them to find out if you are eligible to donate.  In order to be eligible to donate you must be at least 18 years of age, HIV negative and have no risk to HIV or AIDS.  You also must be cancer free and not a diabetic.  If you were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during your pregnancy you should still be able to donate, but if you had any tattoo or piercing with in the last 12 months you are not eligible.

Most cord blood banking companies state that your baby’s cord blood will be stored in a state of the art cryoprservation center.  This is the number one choice of most cord blood storage banks.  It is the method that protects and preserves your baby’s stem cells should they ever be needed.    Some of you might be wondering what cryopreservation really is.   It is the process where cells are preserved by cooling them to low sub-zero temperatures.  This temperature is typically 77K or -196 degrees C.   At these low temperatures there is no biological activity.   In fact, the biochemical reactions that cause cell death are stopped ensuring that the cells are still of good quality when the time comes for them to be used.

There are some risks though during cryoprservation.  The solution that is used during cryopreservation can sometimes cause damage to cells.  Solutions that have a high salt concentration can be very damaging to stem cells.   Other factors that can cause damage to cells are extracellular ice formation or ice forming on the outside of the cell.  When tissues are cooled, water will sometime seep out of the cells and ice form in its place.   Too much of this ice can cause mechanical damage due to crushing.   You also have to think about dehydration.   The migration of the water that seeps out of the cells and causes extracellular ice formation is also the cause of cellular dehydration.   The cells are losing water, and the stress that is caused on the cell is often damaging.     You have to consider ice forming on the inside of cells also.  While some tissues can tolerate some extracellular ice, intracellular ice is always fatal to cells.

So how can cord blood banks prevent this when storing your baby’s cord blood?  One way to prevent it is through vitrification.  This provides the benefits of cryopreservation without any damage due to ice crystals.  How vitrification works is with the addition of cryoprotectants.  These cryoprotentants act like antifreeze and lower the freezing temperature.  In artificial cryopreservation, the solute must penetrate the membrane of the cell in order to achieve increased viscosity and slow down the freezing temperature inside the cells.

Cryopreservation has also been used in preserving embryos for couples who have used IVF or invitro fertilization and it works the same way as it does for storing cord blood.   Knowing just how they will keep your baby’s blood will aid you in making the decision that is right for you.