Have you been considering banking your baby’s umbilical cord blood? If so, you’ll want to hear these new developments in cord blood banking!

During my first pregnancy, it shocked me how much pregnancy felt like a big science experiment. Blood work, ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, genetic testing, glucose tolerance… never before did my life involve all these medical procedures and decisions.

Like all concerned parents, we devoured information to make sure we were making informed choices. For me, it feels less overwhelming when I know more about a topic. That is how I came across Cord Blood Registry’s (CBR) site. They are so much more than just a cord blood and cord tissue bank- they have tons of info about cord blood banking for expectant parents, and also helpful tools and resources for parents.

Cord Blood Banking

For someone with no science background, it’s amazing to me that the blood and tissue found in the umbilical cord has the potential to treat so many conditions, like various cancers and blood, immune, and metabolic disorders*. *Find out more detail on this!

Newborn stem cells are unique and have the ability to help repair or regenerate certain parts of the body. Cord blood may be used in the treatment of over 80 conditions of the blood and immune system as part of a stem cell transplant. Also, new research is taking place to see if cord blood may be able to help heal the body in different ways. That’s why cord blood banking is an investment in your family’s future, because there are so much future potential.

Preserving your newborn’s stem cells may give your child or an immediate family member, depending on the condition and other factors, the opportunity to use this resource for current cord blood therapies and potential future applications.

New Developments

There has been a lot of interesting research in cord blood banking in recent months. One huge one- researchers have conducted a trial to determine the safety of a child’s own cord blood as a potential treatment for autism.

I have several close friends and family members with children affected by autism, and this is huge news. (In fact, when I read this, the first thing I did was call my best friend whose son has autism to see if she had heard!) With 1 in 68 U.S. children affected by autism, this is a really important area of research that has the potential to touch many families.

The CBR funded study conducted by researchers at the Sutter Medical Center found infusing a child with autism with their own cord blood to be safe and feasible. Now, further research is being done by others to study if cord blood may be an effective treatment option for some children with autism spectrum disorder. Learn more about the recent findings here or watch this video.

How Does Cord Blood Banking Work?

CBR makes it really simple. The first thing you want to do is enroll with them here: https://www.cordblood.com/enroll. They send you a collection kit, and you fill out the info card and just hold onto it until you give birth. Bring it with you when you go to the hospital and give it to your healthcare provider. They will do the collection, and the medical courier will send it to CBR. You just enjoy your new baby and CBR will let you know when they’ve received your sample.

Check out CBR’s video if you still have questions about the process.

It is nice to have this one thing “in the bank” because it is full of potential.

Here’s wishing all the best to the expectant Moms for a beautiful and healthy delivery! Enjoy those little ones!