All about Cord Blood

Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord of a newborn baby and is about 180 ml in quantity. This blood gets back into the circulation system of a newborn if the umbilical cord is not clamped prematurely. This blood can be taken from the placenta and cord for the use in stem cell research. The donation of the cord blood is perfectly harmless both for the mother as well as the child. 

Scientists have found out that the cord blood is rich in stem cells. Stem cells are capable of developing into various types of cells in the body and can be used for the treatment of leukemia or other cancers. The chances of rejection is also very less compared to that of the use of bone marrow. Stem cells are believed to have potential to repair damaged body parts. 

The cord blood can be collected from the umbilical cord of a new born baby by clamping it and then taking out the blood from it. It can be stored for future use after processing it and storing it.

There are cord blood bank (both private and public) that collect the blood, process and store it for future use. The cord blood can be either stored for a specific person or are can be used to treat diseases the newborn. There is some controversy regarding the collection of cord blood because there are many medical experts who believe that it can harm the baby. Private cord blood banking should be avoided until and unless there are some specific genetic disorder history in the family.  

It is completely upon the discretion of the parents to either donate the cord blood in the public cord blood bank or just store it in a private cord blood bank.