Donating Your Baby's Cord Blood

Cord blood is the unused blood left in the baby’s umbilical cord and placenta after the baby is born.  This blood is rich in stem cells, which can be collected, frozen and stored.  Like bone marrow, stem cells from cord blood may be used later to treat your baby, other family members, or another person for a growing number of diseases, including cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, some forms of anemia, sickle cell disease and severe combined immune deficiency. 

You should get information on cord blood donation at least four weeks before your due date.  Speak with your health care provider, visit your local or hospital library, contact cord blood services or go on-line to learn more.

Then decide what you want to do:

• Bank the cord blood for your own use with a private cord blood bank.  In order to be able to use cord blood stem cells for a transplant, the stem cells must “match” the person who needs the treatment.  Privately banked cord blood means that you will have a perfect “match” of stem cells for this child and a possibility of a suitable “match” for your other children or members of your family should they need it.
  
  
• Donate the cord blood to a public cord blood bank.  If you do not wish to privately store your baby’s cord blood, you may choose to donate the blood to a public cord blood bank.  Donated cord blood is listed on an international registry.  The cord blood is not reserved for you or your family.  If this cord blood is a “match” for a patient anywhere in the world, it may be used for that person.  This is a simple way for you and your newborn to help save lives. 
  
  
• Discard the cord blood, umbilical cord and placenta.  Following the birth of your baby, the cord blood, umbilical cord and placenta will be disposed of with other medical waste.  This valuable resource will not be available to help people in the future.

If you choose not to store your baby’s cord blood privately, please consider a public blood bank donation.  You could help save a life some day.