Cord Blood

Westside Doula Opinion:

We are in the very early phases of learing about how to use and what uses there are for banked cord blood. So, you must believe that the blood you bank will likly be of use to your child, his or her siblings, you, your partner, or another close family member. The further out you go, the less likely there will be a match. And you must believe that it's future use is more important than the blood at the time of birth.

Companies say that you can do both... bank and delay clamping. But I don't buy it. You are trying to allocate the limited resource (the cord blood) into two places. Either it will go into the baby or into the collection baggie. A home birth midwife may be open to pulling the blood from the placenta so in that situation both may be an option. Talk to her ahead of time.

Please take a moment to think about this before birth has begun. Choose to delay cord clamping or choose to bank that blood. Don't wish you had done one or the other later becuase you followed someone elses advice. It takes some time to order the kit, so if you are on the fence, you might want to get it ahead of time just in case.

Cesareans: If you think that a cesarean is likely/possible/scheduled it is still worth your time to talk to your doctor about delayed cord clamping. If not, and you can afford it, you can still bank the blood if you want to.

What is Cord Blood?

Cord blood comes from the placenta and flows out, through the cord, into the baby or into a collection bag.

What is Delayed Clamping?

Delayed clamping is the act of letting the cord remain intact until it stops pulsating or longer. "Letting" the cord remain intact lets the placenta continue to pump blood into the baby. This can increase the baby's blood by up to one-third. This is likely particulary helpful in tiny and pre-term babies.

Make sure you coordinate ahead of time (both prenatally and at the birth) with the hospital staff. And immediately after the birth remind them again. (how pissed would you be if it was clamped early just because someone forgot?)

Here's the data:

Delayed cord clamping in very preterm infants reduces the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage and late-onset sepsis: a randomized, controlled trial(7)

More studies here.

What is Cord Blood Banking?

Cord blood is the blood that remains in your baby's umbilical cord after the cord has been cut. Doctors have discovered that cord blood, like bone marrow, is a rich source of unique stem cells that can be used in medical treatments. Stem cells are the body's "master" cells and can become any type of cell in the human body. The first use of stem cells in medicine was to regenerate healthy blood and immune cells in cancer patients. (From Cord Blood Registry)

By saving your baby's stem cells with CBR, your child and family can have access to better medical treatment options or cures for cancers, as well as potential treatments for conditions such as brain injury and juvenile diabetes. From Cord Blood Registry

If you choose not to bank your coord blood, delaying the clamping of the cord is an excellent option.

Articles and Informational Sites About the Placenta and Cord Blood:

Companies that Bank Cord Blood (please do your own research):

Cord Blood Registryd (largest, the one with the cute baby looking at her belly button). There are coupons all over the place for this company. Ask your health care provider for the coupon, then compare prices.