If you or someone you know is pregnant this is my official CONGRATS!
There is SO much joy to come your way, and also so much to prepare for little one’s arrival. Plan a baby shower, choose a name for your precious little one, and prepare for delivery (you can grab my hospital bag checklist here).
I’d like you to think about adding cord blood banking to your gift list. There are so many pros to cord blood banking.
Those tiny cells have such huge potential!
Why This Makes A Great Gift
I strongly considered banking my baby’s stem cells for my first pregnancy but had to opt out. We had not financially planned ahead for it; but if we had been given a gift like this, it would have simply been amazing. This gift lives on beyond the holiday season. There is so much potential in newborn stem cells, not only for your new addition but for your family, too.
What is Cord Blood?
Baby’s umbilical cord contains blood, which is a rich source of powerful stem cells. They are collected after birth and it’s an easy, painless process. Cord blood has been used for decades in transplant medicine, in the treatment of 80 different conditions like certain cancers, blood, and immune disorders. Also, cord blood stem cells may offer benefits in potential future uses such as regenerative medicine, where researchers are exploring possibilities for conditions which have no cure today, like autism, cerebral palsy, and acquired hearing loss.
What is Cord Blood Banking?
With cord blood banking, the choice should be made before 34 weeks of pregnancy. Despite misconceptions, it is possible to do both delayed cord clamping and preserve your baby’s cord blood, even when doing a home birth! You or your loved one can talk to their healthcare provider to coordinate both delayed cord clamping and cord blood collection. All the supplies your doctor or midwife need are in the collection kit that you’ll bring with you on the big day. After baby is delivered, your healthcare provider will collect the blood, which is a completely painless and quick process for both the mother and her baby.
You can give the gift of newborn stem cell preservation to an expectant family member or to a close friend. Cord Blood Registry (CBR) provides an easy gift registry option to help expectant moms set this up for their baby. You can also choose private cord blood banking for your newborn.
CBR is helping advance stem cell research by partnering with reputable research institutions on FDA-regulated clinical trials. They’re helping to fund clinical trials to investigate the potential for newborn stem cells as a treatment option for conditions that currently have no cure.
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If you are ready to set up newborn stem cell preservation for your baby, just follow the steps below to get all set up.
How to get set up with Cord Blood Banking :
There are 5 simple steps:
- Enroll with CBR online at cordblood.com/enroll or call 1-888-240-1996
- CBR ships a collection kit to you or a loved one
- Bring your kit to the hospital on your big day
- Call the medical courier after the baby is born and the cord blood has been collected by your healthcare professional
- CBR handles the rest and will notify you when the collection kit has arrived.
Click here to learn more about CBR
Will you or did you consider Cord Blood Banking?
SOURCE: National Cord Blood Program website.
