A mother is connected to her baby in so many ways. Even before the baby is born, the umbilical cord creates a bond that’s like no other. This umbilical connection holds much more than love, though. It nourishes the baby during the nine months of pregnancy, keeping him or her safe and healthy.
As the baby makes his or her way into the world, this umbilical connection is clamped and cut, but the bond between the mother and the child transcends into a different form. This strong connection that begins with the umbilical cord continues for lifetime. However, apart from that, the umbilical cord houses a rather important element that also has a lifelong value - the umbilical cord blood.
When Neeta was pregnant, her maternal instincts kicked in instantly. She began taking care of herself - setting up alarms that would remind her to drink water, take walks and even eat healthy. She, like most mothers, wanted to do everything right for the sake of the well-being of her baby. This also included reading several blogs and articles on pregnancy, birth and post-natal care.
One of the things she read about and that piqued her interest was the concept of cord blood banking. If you are pregnant and you wanted to know about it too, you are in the right place. In this blog, we will explore everything about cord blood banking so that you can make an informed choice.
When your body gears up for delivery, there are a lot of changes that take place. Just like Braxton Hicks contractions that give your body a test run before the actual delivery, or the baby getting into the delivery position, the body also prepares itself in other ways. One of these ways is a rush of boosters cells into the umbilical cord, housed in the blood that remains there.
This enriched blood helps keep both the mother and the baby in fit condition before the delivery, strengthening their immune system. This blood remains in the umbilical cord from the fag end of the third trimester to about a few moments after delivery. The immune booster cells that are present in this blood are rich in several other types of cells that can help the family later in life.
Of the many conditions that this blood can be used to treat, cancer is the most significant. Even though there are other sources like the bone marrow from which these kinds of cells can be extracted, yet, cord blood is one of the most preferred because it is a pain-free method to do so.
Cord blood banking is the term used to collect and cryogenically freeze the blood from the umbilical cord minutes after the delivery.
Immediately after the baby is born and before the placenta is delivered, there are two clamps placed on the umbilical cord, preferably at a distance of about 10 inches. Once the clamps are placed, the doctor will insert a needle and draw some blood from it that would be placed in vials, along with the mother’s blood.
These will be carefully packaged and sent to the cord blood bank where both the blood vials will be tested for infections and contaminations. In a series of procedures, the red blood cells will be separated and the immune cells and other types of cells will be extracted. These will then be frozen and stored for future use.
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Even though a direct comparison will not make sense here, cord blood banking is a way out in case your baby has some health problems in the future. Cord blood is known to have more immunity cells than the one extracted from the bone marrow. This blood is known to treat several health conditions including and not limited to blood cancer, other forms of cancer, sickle cell anemia, and other problems relating to the immunity system. Apart from that, the possibilities of this blood being a treatment option for many other conditions are now emerging. There are about 80 conditions even orthopedic and metabolic disorders that cord blood can help treat.
So, cord blood banking comes as a second layer of protection that you can create for your baby, the first one being your love and care.
If you are considering cord blood banking, then at the Birthplace, we would love to help you out. We know that additional information is essential to make a wise choice, which is why you will have all the help you need.
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