What can you do with Cord Blood

Pregnancy is certainly a special milestone and motherhood is one of the greatest adventures no doubt. Having a baby is an overwhelming time that often encourages parents to adopt healthier lifestyle choices and, if need be, strive towards healthy physique too. Most of us make a conscious decision in order to provide the best for their little one by keeping a tab on the nutrition consumption.

However, these are not the only critical changes that you will be making in the journey of motherhood. Along with healthy life/dietary changes, it is important to consider and make advanced decisions that ensure a safe, healthy future for your baby. One such decision that you might have to consider during your regular pre-natal checkup is preserving your baby's cord blood. It is vital for pregnant women to consider and learn about the plethora of benefits cord blood preservation, which will benefit the baby in its future and also your extended family.

The umbilical cord connects mother and baby in the womb for nine months. It nourishes the baby and keeps it healthy, connected with the mom.

A truly special bond, umbilical cord has life-saving benefits. The cord carries three types of blood vessels – a vein that carries oxygen and food from placenta to the baby and two arteries that carry waste back to placenta. After the birth of the baby, the cord is clamped and cut along with the removal of placenta. The blood left over in umbilical cord and placenta is called cord blood. The cord blood collected from an umbilical cord is rich in stem cells that help in curing 80 plus blood related disorders. These stem cells can morph into all kinds of blood cells which can be used to treat/cure immune and blood related ailments like leukemia, sickle-cell anemia and few kinds of cancer.

As a pregnant mother, equipped with this knowledge of stem-cells and its life-saving benefits, the critical decision to be made is about the preservation of cord blood through a bank. Cord Blood Banking is the procedure of safely collecting blood from umbilical cord and placenta and preserving it in a sterile environment, thereby ensuring access to stem cells for one's lifetime. With several advancements, community cord-blood banking is a frontier in medical practice that will help secure not just your baby's future but also your extended family's health. Despite its benefits, there remains many common misconceptions about cord blood banking. We have Dr. (name), a renowned Gynecologist to breakdown the myths and facts about Cord Blood banking:

Myth: Cord blood is a medical waste that has no value:

A baby's umbilical cord contains blood-forming stem cells which be transplanted and rebuild the immune system and bone marrow by saving a patient life with a certain life-threatening condition such as leukemia, lymphoma or thalassemia. Infusion of these cells can also treat patients with inherited genetic disorders, bone marrow failure or inherited immune deficiency.

Myth - Cord Blood collection could hurt the baby:

As a parent, you might be concerned that your baby will be affected due to the extraction of these stem cell. But, it has been scientifically proven that collection of Cord Blood cells leaves zero possibility of causing hurt to the baby as it is collected right after birth from the baby's umbilical cord and placenta. These cord blood cells instead help your family to combat serious ailments like thalassemia, sickle cell disease, diabetes, leukemia and more.

Myth: There is no need for the prior decision of collecting cord blood:

Making an informed decision to store cord blood is not as clear-cut for everyone and often people dwell in the misconception that decision with regards to the collection of cord blood can be made after-birth. However, expecting parents must consult their physician between 28th to 34th weeks of pregnancy regarding the preservation of cord blood. Although cord blood banking can be a very novel experience for expecting parents, it is a simple and safe one.

Myth – The collection process of cord blood affects delivery, takes blood away from the baby and is painful in general:

Cord blood collection happens post-delivery of the baby and when the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. Since it is carried out by a dedicated physician, it does not pose any risk to baby and does not affect the care of mother and child during the delivery itself. Cord blood collection process is a safe, painless process for both mother and the baby.

Myth - Cord blood is rarely used in medical treatments today:

To reiterate, cord blood stem cell transplants are used to treat nearly 80 and more diseases including blood cancer, autoimmune diseases and bone marrow disorder. The medical world is opening new frontiers to apply stem cell transplant to cure rare disorders across specialties and hold great future.

—Dr Pujitha Devi Suraneni, Obstetrician & Gynecologist, KIMS Cuddles