Cord Blood: Essential Information for Expectant Parents

This is a collaborative post with Cells4Life.

Amidst the flurry of preparations expectant parents face, from choosing prams to discussing feeding methods, cord blood should also be a topic of conversation. But what exactly is cord blood?

Cord blood, also known as umbilical cord blood, is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born and the cord is cut. This blood holds the richest source of stem cells your baby will ever have and is a perfect match to your child. Furthermore, it’s up to 40-60% likely to match siblings, and cord blood stem cells are easier to match with more distant relatives than other sources of stem cells.

Stem cells are the fundamental building blocks of life. They possess the remarkable ability to reproduce themselves into more specialised cells, aiding in the repair and replacement of damaged or diseased tissues within the body. Stem cells are now utilised as approved medicinal therapies for over 80 illnesses, including autoimmune conditions, blood disorders, and cancers, with ongoing research in over 5,000 clinical trials exploring their potential for treating other conditions.

Future projections suggest that one in three people will require stem cell therapy in their lifetime. Stem cells offer the promise of regenerative medicine, envisioning a future where tissue engineering can use stem cells to grow new body parts, from bladders to hearts. This concept, once considered science fiction, is becoming a reality. Organs and tissues grown from a patient’s own stem cells would be recognised as the body’s own, potentially eliminating the need for lifelong anti-rejection medications.

Collecting cord blood is both risk-free and painless for both mother and baby. Storing it in a family bank, like Cells4Life, grants the family complete control over the sample. They can utilise it for treatment of approved conditions or access emerging therapies and clinical trials. Umbilical cord blood collection is compatible with various birth scenarios, including NHS births, private hospital births, natural births, caesarean births, and multiple births. Additionally, Cells4Life’s exclusive processing technology ensures optimal cell preservation, compatible with both optimal and delayed cord clamping, offering parents flexibility and peace of mind.

While no parent wants to consider the possibility of their child falling ill, the reality is that illness and disease become more likely as we age. Cord blood storage is often seen as an insurance policy, offering peace of mind knowing it’s available if ever needed.

Given its life-saving potential, parents deserve the opportunity to make an informed decision about their baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells. After all, there’s only one chance to collect them, at birth.