Cord Bood Banking

Cord Blood BankingCord blood is a topic of great interest to me. When I had my children I was given a pink form with numbers on it one being the medical record number the other number of a cord bank. I was told blood was collected from my newborns umbilical cord i never asked why and I was not told how important it could be. What is cord blood? It is the collection and storage of stem cells found in a newborns umbilical cor. It offers lifesaving treatments for the newborn or a family member. we see how stem cell research is a major issue that scientists are pondering with in laboratoris worldwide as couples and families try to concieve or save alredy born children all possible with cord blood banking.Cord blood is collected after the baby is born but before the placenta is delivered.A needle is injected into the umbilical vein and the blood is collected it takes about 2-4 minutes.The collected blood is stored in a cryopreservation chamber a specialized freezer where cells are stored at -196 degrees celsius ,-321 degrees F.Cord blood can be used to treat over 40 life threatening diseases including a wide range of cancers,genetic diseases, immune deficiences and blood disorders.I was drawn to this topic because earlier this week in a medical journal this topic was spoken about. Until this time i never understood the clinical importance of why the newborns blood is collected and that the number on the form is phone number if you as a parent need to access your cord blood for e.g in illness your doctor can do so with this information.