Parents Guide to Cord Blood

Expecting parents have a host of decisions to make regarding the arrival of their new baby. In such a situation it is often hard to make decisions regarding cord blood banking. We have compiled a simple and easy to understand parents guide to cord blood in order to help would-be parents make informed decisions about the efficacy and need to bank cord blood.

What is cord blood?
Cord blood is the blood that is left over in the umbilical cord and the placenta after your baby is born.

Why is it so important to collect cord blood?
Normally the blood that is left over after the birth of the baby is discarded. Because this blood is rich in stem cells, which are the building blocks of blood and immune cells, it could potentially be used to save lives via cord blood transplants or could be used for research purposes.

Am I obligated to give consent for cord blood harvesting?
As a parent, you are NOT obligated to bank your baby's cord blood. In fact experts advise you to talk with your physician about the process of cord blood banking and whether it is advisable in your pregnancy.

Under which circumstances is collection of the blood not advised?
According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, cord blood collection may not be safe in premature birth, delivery through caesarean section, multiple births and in cases where there is significant maternal hemorrhage.Ultimately the attending clinician is the best judge to determine whether your baby's blood can be safely collected without harming the baby and the mother.

Why should I consider banking cord blood?
If there is a history of severe anemias, immune disorders or some cancers like leukemia in your family, it makes sense to bank your baby's cord blood. Remember that your baby's cord blood is 25% similar to other members in the family.In case you have twins and one of them suffers from a childhood cancer like leukemia, the cord blood that is stored is of immense benefit.

I have decided to bank my baby's cord blood. Should I opt for public or private banking?
This is always a personal decision. One thing you must remember is that private banking of cord blood is not overtly encouraged. However in case there are some deficiency states in the family, it makes good sense to store the blood in private banks.

Storing the blood in public cord blood banks is strongly advocated. Public banks are supported by the medical community and do not charge a fee for storing the blood. However in case you opt to publicly bank your baby's cord blood, there is a very remote chance of getting the same blood in case it is needed in future.

Are there any concerns about cord-blood banking?
Yes, there are plenty of legal and ethical concerns regarding the procedure.

* There are no universal guidelines for collection and storage of cord blood and hence quality control is largely ignored.

* Privacy and confidentiality issues are yet to be resolved.

* There is also no consensus on how to obtain informed consent from parents before harvesting cord blood.

* As yet there are no standards in place on how parents are to be notified in case genetic or medical abnormalities are detected in the cord blood sample.

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