Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth, which is usually discarded. Cord blood banking uses external facilities as a place to store and preserve your baby’s cord blood. The cord blood of your baby serves as an abundant source of stem cells, which are genetically distinctive to your baby and your family. Stem cells can transform into other types of cells in the body and create new growth and development; they are the building blocks of the immune system. This transformation of cells provides physicians with a way to treat leukemia and some inherited disorders. Cord blood stem cells have the same ability to treat disease as does bone marrow, however, there is significantly less rejection. Banking your baby’s blood and stem cells in a cord blood bank provides you with a type of insurance. Hopefully, you will not need to access your baby’s stem cells to address a medical problem, but using a cord blood bank can give you peace of mind that this valuable resource is there if you need it.
