As a third-time mom, I’ve been through the flurry of the labor and delivery process enough times to know that the minutes and hours following the birth of babies is an all-encompassing blur of activity. While I’ve always followed the “go with the flow” mantra in parenting, there are some topics that I wish I had more knowledge about prior to becoming a mama nearly five years ago.
The first time around, I pretty much had no clue about a lot of medical decisions and topics that parents should be aware of in the immediate time following your baby’s birth. I knew more the second and third time around, but most of my knowledge came from experience rather than actual research I did during my pregnancies.
One topic that I wish I researched further is Cord Blood Banking. July is Cord Blood Awareness month and I recently learned a lot of information about Cord Blood Banking that I wanted to share for moms and dads to be.
Please note that I am not a medically trained professional and have only provided a general overview on the topic below.
Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood, which contains powerful stem cells, comes from a newborn’s umbilical cord and is collected immediately after birth. Once the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, the remaining blood in the umbilical cord is drawn into a collection bag.
Cord blood stem cells are biologically younger and are more flexible compared to adult stem cells from other sources like bone marrow. When saved, they have unique qualities and advantages:
- Less risk of complications when used in transplants
- When family banking, they are immediately available
- Preserving them “stops the clock” and protects the cells from aging and being exposed to environmental factors and common viruses that can decrease their function
I know that as a mom, my one goal in life is to make the world a better place for my kids. I love finding out about organizations like CBR and helping to spread knowledge and awareness to parents. CBR is dedicated to advancing the real life clinical applications of newborn stem cells.
CBR partners with researchers on FDA-regulated clinical trials to advance newborn stem cell research and connect families to these trials if they qualify. Parents can trust CBR’s commitment to provide the best service and quality in the collection, processing, and storage of newborn stem cells, if they choose cord blood banking for their babies.
Stem cells can heal the body, promote recovery, and offer an enormous amount of therapeutic potential. While I didn’t know this prior to having our babies, I hope that some of you know more about it through this post. To learn about families who chose cord blood banking, you can view this video here.
To learn more about CBR Cord Blood Registry please view THIS VIDEO HERE.
Topics to Research During Pregnancy: Cord Blood Banking
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