What is Cord Blood and Why is it Important?
Umbilical cord blood is what brings the gift of life to your developing baby while in your womb. It’s cord blood that brings powerful nutrients and oxygen to your baby as she grows. But that gift doesn’t stop there. Learn more about cord blood essentials.
Cord blood is rich in stem cells. These remarkable stem cells are being used today by medical professionals as treatments and cures for Leukemia, certain other cancers, Sickle Cell Anemia, immune and metabolic disorders, as well as about 80 other medical conditions. Researchers are even starting to see how stem cells can be used to treat conditions such as stroke or blindness.
Since 1988, there have been more than 35,000 cord blood transplants worldwide.
Cord Blood Essentials
Cord blood is precisely what it sounds like. It’s the blood that remains in the umbilical cord as well as placenta after the baby is born. This blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells. What makes these stem cells so valuable is their ability to regenerate red cells, white cells, and platelets. What’s remarkable; however, is that after the birth, this material has been considered medical waste until just recently.
These stem cells can differentiate into many different forms. This makes them a remarkable source of value to specialists in the field of regenerative medicine, cancer treatment, and other blood disorders.
It’s important to point at that these cells are unique from embryonic stem cells that have received so much negative press over the past 15-years. That controversy does not exists in the case of cord blood stem cell collection. The stem cells are collected after the baby has been delivered.
What’s best is that collecting this stem cell-rich blood is remarkably easy and places no risk on the mother or baby.
Decided to Store Your Baby’s Cord Blood?
Give us a call – our staff of clinical professionals can help you with this important decision.
