Banking Cord Blood

With stem cell research having an uncertain future, another alternative source of stem cells is umbilical cord blood. Stem cells are important because they are unspecialized cells that have the ability to differentiate into specific cell types indefinitely. For example, stem cells have the potential to grow into specific organs for people who need organ transplants, greatly reducing a person’s time waiting for a new heart, kidney, liver, etc.

Cord blood is an excellent source for stem cells because it does not come with the ethical scrutiny of producing stem cells in laboratories. Therefore, some parents might choose to “bank” their child’s cord blood in case the son or daughter should need it for any reason in the future.

Cord Blood Banking Process

Cord blood can be taken after either vaginal birth or a caesarian section delivery. After the birth, the doctor or midwife clamps the cord as necessary for the baby and then drains the blood out of the cord into a sterile container. Collecting the blood takes about 3-5 minutes. Parents can choose to bank the blood publicly, where anyone can use the stem cells in the cord blood, or privately, where it is saved solely for the child who gave it.

Preparing to Give Cord Blood

Once parents decide to collect and store cord blood, they need to choose whether they will use a private or public cord blood bank. Often, the parents will receive a blood collection kit which they will have to give to the hospital staff in order to properly drain and store the blood. Otherwise, because it is done after birth, cord blood donation should be a fairly easy process, unless it is mishandled by the medical staff carrying it out.

Contact Us

If you or someone you know has suffered a birth injury due to cord blood mishandling or any other umbilical cord issue, contact the Philadelphia birth injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at 215-238-1130 for more information.