Saving Life With Newborn's Cord Blood

Newborn's cord blood can save life...
Many of you might not be awared of its benefits. It can potential treat diabetes, stroke, heart and Alzshiemer's diseases...so find out more about how saving your baby's cord blood can benefits your baby and family.

Here's some information to share, hope it'll helps to give you a better understanding:

What is Cord Blood?
The blood that remains in your baby's umbilical cord after it has been cut is called cord blood and is rich in stem cells. Stem cells are one of the most promising areas of medical treatment for a number of common illnesses such as heart disease and Alzheimer's. They're the body's "master" cells and can regenerate into the cells that form all other tissues, organs, and systems in the body.

Donate blood cord
Before your baby is born, the umbilical cord is a lifeline. After birth, that lifeline can provide hope to patients with leukemia, lymphoma or other diseases.
After delivery, the umbilical cord and placenta are no longer needed and are often discarded. But the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta is rich with blood-forming cells. These healthy blood-forming cells can be collected and stored so they can be used by a patient who needs them.

Cord Blood Is Changing Lives Today
The umbilical cord is a lifeline: before birth, it provides the nutrients and oxygen necessary for your baby’s growth. After birth, your baby no longer needs that lifeline. But it could help someone else. You can donate cord blood to give hope to someone in need.

Real Life Story
New life can bring new hope through umbilical cord blood
Chicago Sun-Times, Jun 6, 2005 by Jim Ritter

Newborn Sofia Hogue was just a few minutes old when she performed her first good deed:
With her mother's permission, Sofia donated her umbilical cord blood, which some day might save a life.
Donated cord blood is used in stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, immune system disorders and other life-threatening diseases.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed and sent to the Senate legislation to add 150,000 units to the nation's cord blood banks, which now store about 40,000 units. The vote was 431-1. Each unit contains cord blood from one newborn. The more units in the nation's cord blood banks, the greater the chance a patient will find a match.

A relatively new source of stem cells is cord blood, which offers certain medical advantages. However, an umbilical cord holds only three to five ounces of blood. Consequently, cord blood transplants are used more often in children and small adults, who need fewer cells.

There have been about 1,000 cord blood transplants to date, with a potential for thousands more.

When a mother decides to donate her baby's cord blood, she calls the cord blood bank during her pregnancy. About a month before the due date, the blood bank sends a collection kit, which the mother brings to the hospital.

Painless, poses no risk
After the baby is born, the umbilical cord is clamped. Blood remaining in the cord and placenta is drained from the mother's side and sent to the cord blood bank, where it's stored at minus 320 degrees. The collection is free and painless and poses no risk to the mother or baby. If not collected, cord blood is discarded as part of the afterbirth.

It's possible a baby donor could later get sick and receive a perfectly matching cord blood transplant from his or her own stored blood. But there's no guarantee the cord blood would still be available, since it would be donated to the first matching patient who needs it.