CORD BLOOD BANKING - INTRODUCTION

Importance of Cord Blood Banking for your new born baby

Cord blood is a vital source of stem cells that can prove to be life saving for your loved ones - your family members. Medical science has found out that cord blood, is a rich source of stem cells that is very useful for treating various types of diseases and ailments - just as the way Bone Marrow is useful.

You must be wondering what these Stem Cells are. Stem cells have the power to change and save lives. Stem cells are the body's ‘root’ cells that regenerate and transform into the cells that form all of the tissues, organs, and systems in our body. The first use of stem cells in medicine was to rebuild healthy blood and immune cells in cancer patients after they received chemotherapy.

In a new branch of medicine called regenerative medicine, medical researchers are working on how to use cord blood stem cells for the treatment of brain injuries and juvenile diabetes. 

In the late 1980s, medical experts successfully used cord blood stem cells to cure ailments and diseases that had previously been cured with bone marrow transplantation. Just like bone marrow, cord blood stem cells have now been used in several type of treatments and have proven to be effective for treating adults as well as children. 

Cord Blood Banking 

Cord blood banking means collection and preservation of stem cells from the blood of your baby umbilical cord. These preserved stem cells can be used for future potential medical treatments. 

Cord Blood Banking can be a  “once in a lifetime opportunity” and the decision needs to be taken at the time of your baby’s birth whether you wish to bank your baby’s cord blood or not. If not, then the cord blood is discarded by the Hospital where your baby is born. 

If you choose cord blood banking for your baby, you have to choose a cord blood bank before the birth, usually at least one or two months before the due date. Once you complete the paperwork and inform your doctor and the hospital about the decision. Many hospitals are not equipped to handle this immediately collecting cord blood at birth and special arrangements may be needed. The cord blood will be collected and returned to the bank of your choice to be stored for later use if necessary. 

How is Cord Blood collected from my Baby’s Umbilical Cord? 

Collection of cord blood from your baby’s umbilical cord is a very easy, safe. Moreover, it is a painless process which hardly takes around 5 minutes. After the baby is born, the baby’s umbilical cord is clamped and cut. Immediately after this, the cord blood left in the umbilical cord that has been cut is collected. Thus this process is completely safe and without any pain or risk for either the Baby or the Mother. 

It does not matter whether the baby’s delivery is vaginal or cesarean 

Who collects the cord blood? 

The responsibility of collecting the cord blood from your baby’s umbilical cord lies with the medical team delivery your baby. Generally, there are no representatives from the Cord Blood bank that you have chosen at this stage. 

What is the next step after collection of the Cord Blood at the hospital? 

The cord blood bank which you choose, would send across to you a specialized collection kit for collecting your baby’s cord blood few weeks prior to the expected date of your baby’s birth. At the time of your baby’s birth, the team of doctors delivering your baby would collect the cord blood from your baby’s umbilical cord in this specialized collection kit. Then you need to ship this collection kit through courier to the Cord Blood Bank’s medical laboratory. At this medical laboratory, the cord blood upon receipt is processed for collection of stem cells and then preserved and stored.


Having  learnt about the basics of cord blood banking, you would be wondering whether you should bank your newborn's cord blood or not. Read more about whether you should opt for cord blood banking or not

This site aims to help would be parents decided whether to bank their baby's cord blood or not. Based on our own research, experience and the resources that we have studies and complied, it is our endeavour to create more awareness about cord blood banking and help parents decide what is best for them. Feel free to go through all our articles and useful information provided in the site..