Just when you think that scientific research cannot come up with something else, they do. The headlines all around the world mark the latest in scientific discovery. Of course there are new headlines almost every day regarding cord blood and the many benefits of banking cord blood.  

The latest news is for those parents who were unaware of the benefits of cord blood banking. After delivery you may not have considered the option of cord blood banking and therefore did not request it. Now everyone has access to all the many ways that cord blood is being used to help children and loved ones through a disease or illness that they would not have survived otherwise.  

They have discovered that menstrual blood has stem cells in it. Because of the reason for menstruation and because it occurs monthly it is known to be self-renewing, which is a very important factor in stem cells.  

There has been no human testing done so far to determine how well it can cure the human body compared to cord blood but testing is being done everyday. This type of news has very mixed emotions. Cord blood can only be obtained after the delivery of a baby. Menstrual blood can be collected on a monthly basis. The other concerns are the expense to store the menstrual blood when there is access to it every month. Until there is proof of the abilities to help heal the body there will continue to be doubt and skepticism.

When you read the news you may have noticed that there are several new topics on cord blood banking. This is good news for those who may be suffering from a terminal illness that may be treatable with stem cells. Because cord blood is still in research status the possibility of curing an illness still has a slim chance but it is a chance that more people are taking.
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When researchers find something that works they begin to discover more reasons for people to like the results. With the ever changing research on cord blood it is amazing at how many things cord blood is being used to treat. At first cord blood was known to be successful in the cure for Sickle Cell Anemia, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Multiple Sclerosis, and more tragic diseases and conditions but today there is an increase in how cord blood can help people of all ages.  

Cord blood contains stem cells which can be used to treat different diseases and conditions that may not respond to other types of treatments. Although stem cell research is still controversial, more people are understanding how it can help in healing the human body. Cord blood is usually something that is considered waste after a baby is born.  

Some of the latest testing has proven to be successful in treating diabetes, decreasing memory loss and other conditions associated with aging, and lately it has helped a little boy recover from cerebral palsy, which otherwise would have been a permanent condition that babies are sometimes born with.  

Doctors are proceeding with caution and don’t want to give parents any type of false hope. Research will continue everyday and as it does it may unfold other ways that waste that would normally be destroyed can save thousands of lives in the near future.

It’s important when considering cord blood banking that you know everything there is to know in order to be sure of your decision. Today you are hearing a lot more about cord blood banking then in the past. That’s mainly because more people are starting to realize the importance of cord blood.  

The process of cord blood banking may make you undecided as far as not knowing exactly what to expect. If you are not sure about the procedure you can find out more about it below. 

As soon as a baby is born, the doctor or midwife will clean an area of the umbilical cord about four to eight inches. This is done before the delivery of the placenta. After the area is clean with an antiseptic solution a needle used specifically for drawing blood is inserted into the cleaned umbilical cord vein. The blood will then naturally flow into the blood bag until it is done. Extra blood is also taken in tubes so the blood can be tested thoroughly. After this is done the blood bag is sealed and labeled so it is ready to send off to the cord blood bank. 

This procedure does not affect the baby in any way. The baby is already delivered and being cared for. You are probably holding your baby while the cord blood is being taken. It doesn’t hurt you either. In the end you have made the right choice for your family’s future. Congratulations!

Because times have changed today almost everything is found online. You can find all the information that you need simply by doing a search using one of the popular search engine sites. Once you locate what you want you then have a wide variety of websites to choose from that will give you the information that you wanted to find out.

 Just because it is online does not mean that it is right. Most search engines will rank the most popular sites first so you know which ones people are looking at the most which usually means you can trust them.

 When you are searching for information on cord blood banking, either public or private, you will need to do your research. Most of the information that you find still  needs to be researched. If you continually verify the information and it is correct more times than not, chances are you will build up confidence in that site. That is what you should be able to find here as well. The research is done but you still need to learn to trust the site to provide you with the right information.

I have found that not every hospital is participating in helping women to donate or bank their cord blood. This is a woman’s individual choice and it should be a decision you make because you have made your mind up not because it’s not available. Because cord blood banking is still somewhat new to everyone it may not be something that takes off over night.

How do you find a participating hospital?

If you are pregnant and you have made the decision to donate or bank cord blood the first thing you need to do is to make your doctor aware of your decision. Talking to him or her first may make it easier to find the rest of the answers you are looking for, such as what hospitals are participating and such. If a hospital of your choice is listed you just need to contact the cord blood bank to make them aware of the decision. Between the cord blood bank and your doctor, someone will notify the hospital staff of your decision. The bank will be in touch with you as you get closer to your due date.

If you cannot find a participating hospital

Sometimes this will happen and you live in an area that does not offer participating hospitals so what do you do? You do have several options here.

First, if there is a hospital close to the one that you will be using they may be able to collect the cord blood still. Call the cord blood bank to ask them if they can help.

There is a bank called Cryobanks International and they accept donation from anywhere in the

You may only have the option to donate cord blood due to the distance the bank is or participating hospital. The banks that only accept donations are not always listed on the hospital listings.

If you want to see if your hospital is participating, call them and ask. If they are not, inquire to see if they can become a participating hospital. The future depends on cord blood banking now.

Because nothing is free hardly these days it is safe to say that the same goes for cord blood banking. But people don’t mind paying for something that may end up saving a life. When a parent decides to bank their cord blood they have a choice to use a private bank or a public bank. Either one charges a fee but the fee depends on the bank.

 Most of the banks charge a collection fee from the hospital the day you deliver the baby. Then there will be a monthly charge to keep the cord blood banked until you need it. Hopefully you will never need it but if you do you will have immediate access to your cord blood to help.

To determine the amount that it will cost you, the first thing to do is to contact your doctor to find out which banks they are associated with. Then contact the banks to ask them how much they charge for collection and then the monthly fee. Also make sure that you find out if there are additional charges as well so you can be prepared. Most of the banks will charge an extra $50-$100 for the collection and the monthly fee for banking will run about $100 per month.

It may seem overwhelming to you to consider making another payment for the rest of your life but it will be priceless if you ever need it. Consider cord blood banking today.

Because there is not alot of talk about cord blood banking there may not be alot of questions out there that have not been answered yet. We know that cord blood can help fight diseases and conditions and we also know that without it thousands of children would not be here today if it wasn’t for cord blood banking.  People seem to hesitate to consider this new age technology that can save a life. Because of the hesitation there are children who may not make it to see a new year begin.

 If you want to know more about cord blood banking and how it can save a life, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. This website is there to help people understand why cord blood banking is not only important but necessary. There are children alive today to prove how important cord blood banking can be.

You may have heard all about cord blood donation and now you want to know what happens after the cord blood obtained. It takes the work of the hospital staff as well as the cord blood bank. It takes team work but none of it would be possible if it wasn’t for you. Once you make the decision to donate cord blood it is time to make preparations by calling the cord blood bank to make them aware of your decision. 

Once the baby is born, usually the afterbirth is discarded but if you decide to donate the cord blood, the blood bank staff will take the placenta to a laboratory. There they will work to collect the blood from the cord and put it in a sterile bag.  

Small samples are removed from the sterile bag in order to obtain blood type information and sample testing. Then the cord blood is prepared for frozen. It may be necessary to remove the excess red blood cells and plasma in order to reduce the volume of each cord blood unit. The remainder is almost completely nucleated blood cells that were present when the cord blood was initially collected. This includes the stem cells. The cells are protected from freezing. Once the cord blood is frozen in liquid nitrogen freezers, it is available for immediate access when necessary.  

When a patient with a disease or illness has been diagnosed and the doctor searches for a treatment, the staff may notify the transplant center to request a matched cord blood unit. If there is a match the transplant center then verifies all the information before immediately delivering the transplant unit to the designated hospital. 

There are several ways the cord blood unit is delivered. To learn more about cord blood visit www.cord-blood-banking.org