The moment you learn you are pregnant, your life changes. You have to be more cautious in what decision you make because those decisions not only affect you, but they now affect your baby. The checklist of how to care for you and your baby may seem endless. What you eat, your surrounding environment, and reducing stress are just a few things that are important in the healthy development of your baby. But one decision is increasingly being added to this so-called “pregnancy checklist”—whether or not to donate or bank your baby’s umbilical cord blood.
Today and in the past, umbilical cords and placental tissue collected right after childbirth have been—and still are—discarded as medical waste. These stem cells have been used to treat more than 30 diseases, including, but not limited to, blood diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, leukemia and cancer. By preserving cord blood, you may be helping to protect the health of your child or other family members as well as supporting doctors who are developing stem cell treatments for various health conditions and diseases.
What exactly is a cord blood unit?
A cord blood unit is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and the placenta after the baby is born. Cord blood does not have to match a patient’s tissue type as closely as donated bone marrow does. What does this mean? This means more patients are able to obtain cord blood transplants than ever before.
Will collecting cord blood hurt or harm my baby?
No. Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord immediately after birth and there is no risk to the baby because no blood is ever taken directly from your baby.
What are my options?
Depending on where you plan on delivering, the options may differ. Your hospital may have a public donation option, which is free, where you could potentially help someone in your community. They may also have private banking options where you pay an ongoing fee to store your baby’s cord blood for your family’s use only. Lastly, there may be an option to donate to research in order to advance medical treatments for a variety of diseases.
How good are my chances of donating or storing?
If you are delivering at a hospital that supports the collection of cord blood, if you are healthy, and if you are delivering one baby (rather than two or more), your chances are very high for donating. Speak with your doctor regarding any concerns and questions you may have about your donation or banking options.
Are cord blood stem cells part of the stem cell controversy that has been widely covered in the news?
No. Cord blood stem cells are free of political and ethical debate. Cord blood banking is endorsed by the current White House Administration and many states are introducing legislature on educating families about the options for their baby’s cord blood.
In fact, House Bill 874 was passed (printer number 2261), which is an Act providing for umbilical cord blood banking; requiring health care facilities and providers to give pregnant patients information regarding umbilical cord blood banking; and requiring health care facilities to permit pregnant patients to arrange for umbilical cord blood donations.
Understandably, there are numerous things to do in preparation for your baby. Hopefully this editorial will help you better understand what cord blood units are, how the stem cells from umbilical cord blood samples have the potential to treat diseases, and the political and religious support this type of research has. You have choices. Now you need to decide whether or not you want to bank or store your baby’s cord blood, even if it means adding another decision to your “pregnancy checklist.”
Again, if you have questions regarding cord blood donations or banking, please consult your doctor.