[AD] 10 things you need to know about umbilical cord blood banking

So – you’re going to be parent! The next 9 months will be spent getting prepped for the arrival of the newest member of the family; making decisions about what pushchair to get and how many baby-grows to buy and generally basking in the excitement of what is to come.

But as we all know, life can throw us curveballs from time-to-time and part of being a dad is trying to figure out how to protect our children as they grow up, and even when they aren’t children anymore.

That’s where cord blood banking comes in.

Cord blood banking is the process of collecting the blood from the umbilical cord and placenta at the time of birth and storing it for future use.

To understand more about cord blood and cord blood banking, I’ve teamed up with Cells4Life to discuss 10 things you need to know about umbilical cord blood banking.

1) Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of non-controversial stem cells
In fact, your baby’s umbilical cord contains billions of stem cells and they are probably the most powerful stem cells your baby will ever have. Unlike embryonic stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells are procured after baby is born and the cord is clamped and cut. The collection is completely non-invasive and preserves a material that would otherwise be discarded as waste.

2) Cord blood stem cells are used to treat over 80 conditions and diseases
Umbilical cord blood stem cells are the recognised therapy for over 80 diseases. These include rare metabolic disorders such as Hurler Syndrome, immune disorders such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), and many more.

3) Cord blood stem cell transplants are considered routine treatments for some conditions
These powerful stem cells are already routinely used by the NHS for many conditions; from blood disorders such as sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia to blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma.

4) Cord blood transplants aren’t new
Though cord blood banking has only recently gained more attention in recent years, it isn’t new. The first cord blood transplant dates back to the 1980s and was used to treat a 5-year-old boy with Fanconi Anaemia – a rare genetic disease. Since then, there have been over 40,000 cord blood transplants performed worldwide. 

5) Cord blood banking is insurance for the whole family
Storing your baby’s umbilical cord blood not only means your child always has access to their perfect genetic match, but it also means their sample could be a match for their siblings. With a 25% chance of being a perfect match, and a 75% chance of being a good enough match, your child’s cord blood could be used for a transplant for any of your children, if they need it. It may even be a partial match for the parents!

6) Cord blood banking is compatible with almost all birth plans – including delayed cord clamping
You and your partner have probably spent a lot of time researching different birthing plans. Now you may be wondering how cord blood banking fits into this. The good news is that cord blood banking is compatible with most birth plans. Thinking about delayed cord clamping and cord blood banking? You can do both with this cord blood bank .

7) Many sporting heroes have used stem cells to recover from serious sports injuries   
David Beckham, Rafael Nadal, Peyton Manning and many more have all used stem cells to recover from some serious injuries over the years. Torn hamstring? No problem. After receiving stem cell treatment, Cristiano Ronaldo reported no pain and was back on the field in no time.

8) Stem cells are central to more than 7,600 clinical trials 
Subject to thousands of clinical trials, stem cells are being used in various regenerative therapies for the treatment of hundreds of conditions. Brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, hearing loss, bone fractures, arthritis, diabetes, lung disease – the list goes on! Cord blood stem cells have even been used to treat COVID-19 cases in recent months, and have been successful in alleviating symptoms of the coronavirus.

9) Cord blood can be stored for over 25 years – and if not longer
Currently, cord blood stem cells can be stored for 25 years. This is because the first cord blood collection only took place in 1988 and so no one has stored a sample for longer. However, other types of stem cells have been stored for more than 50 years with no problems – so scientists believe that cord blood stem cells could be stored indefinitely.

10) There’s only one chance to save your baby’s umbilical cord blood
When? In the moments straight after birth.
You can discover more about cord blood banking by visiting cells4life.com .