Cord Blood and the Benefits it Promises
When a baby is born, it is connected to the mother with a cord, known as the Umbilical cord. This cord is cut immediately after the baby is born. However, this cord has some blood which is a rare gift of nature. It is known as the “Umbilical cord blood” which has stem cells. If this is collected and stored, it can be a huge asset for the baby’s future in terms of treating various health issues.
This is a challenging time for the expecting parents, the cord blood storage is not cheap, yet it can only be done once. If you let it go, there is no way you can ever get it back. Stem cells are god’s gifts, they cannot be made by the humans, if you let go there is no turning back. Yet, the costs are heavy and some fees have to be paid every year to keep it safe.
The benefits of cord blood:
1) Safety – When it comes to the collection of cord blood, one of those first questions that hits your mind is – is it safe? Since the cord blood would have been wasted and thrown away otherwise, keeping it stored does not affects the mother or the child in anyway.
2) It can be donated – The cord blood donation process is very simple and real quick. You will have to volunteer for the donation. If the cord blood is not kept safe in storage right after the baby is born, it will be wasted. So, volunteering in advance is really important. It can cure many diseases, when there will be a match, the donated cord blood will be used.
3) Save it for the family – The cord blood is not only useful for your child’s future but it can be used for your family as well. It is an investment for your entire family.
4) It can be easily matched – The cord blood matches are easier as the transplant does not require a perfect match. So a partial match work and thus is more valuable.
5) Viral safe – Cord blood is also known to be safer, as it is less likely to transmit common viruses.
6) Cure deadly diseases – Cord blood can help to cure over 80+ deadly diseases that include cancer and many other genetic diseases.
This whole process of collecting cord blood is very simple. In most cases due to not knowing or simply ignorance, this valuable cord blood is thrown away as medical waste. According to some reports, 95% of the times, it is thrown away. Therefore it is important for the doctors to explain their patients very clearly about the benefits and the uses of cord blood. All you have to do is sign up for the cord blood donation at an early stage in your pregnancy. Then you will receive your donation kit; keep it with you while you are in the hospital. The cord blood will be taken within 10 minutes of the baby’s birth and will be stored in a safe environment for future use.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Category: Health News
Good to know. However, to safely store cord blood is quite expensive, I mean, you can’t just put it in your fridge. Well, as usually, health has its costs.
Cristian Stan recently posted..Bread Machine Reviews
Twitter: KymberlyFunFit
says:
I had never heard of this option nor reasons for it. Do you have any original source links about the science behind the benefits? Also, you mention cost as a considerable factor. About what does it cost? Thanks!
KymberlyFunFit recently posted..How Do Your Personality, Luck, and Gender Affect Your Health?
Twitter: uttoransen
says:
hi Kymberly,
There are plenty of sources, just Google them… however, here is one:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/_cancer_center/treatment/cord_blood.html
If you want to donate the cord blood, it is free, but if you want to keep it for yourself, your baby and your family in a commercial cord blood bank, you have to pay like $2000 for it, and there is a yearly upkeep fees which is around $100.
regards,
Uttoran Sen,
Uttoran Sen recently posted..47 Outlandish Ways to Inspire Writing