The birth of your child is a truly special moment. After nine months of patiently waiting, they finally arrive, and the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. At last, you can soak up the first precious moments with your little one.
But have we ever stopped and thought about what happens to the umbilical cord once baby arrives? The umbilical cord is often thrown away as medical waste straight after childbirth and many parents miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which could change their child’s life in the years to come.
Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells Help Change Lives
What many people don’t know is that a baby’s umbilical cord is possibly one of the most powerful medical resources they will ever have access to. That’s because it contains billions of stem cells which could hold the key to a long and healthy future
Since the 1980s, stem cells from umbilical cord blood have been used to change lives across the world. So, what’s so special about umbilical cord blood and why should parents save their baby’s cord blood?
Umbilical cord blood is the blood that is remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after labour. This blood can be collected from your baby’s umbilical cord and stored for future use in medical treatments.
Containing billions of powerful stem cells, umbilical cord blood is already used to treat over 80 different diseases and conditions which affect millions of people worldwide. This is because these mighty stem cells are special for two main reasons.
1) Umbilical cord blood stem cells are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods of time.
2) Stem cells in cord blood are unspecialised and can transform into specialised cells within the body.
So, what does this mean exactly? Essentially, your child has over 200 different types of specialised cells in their body, ranging from hair cells, to skin cells, to brain cells and nervous system cells. However, these precious cells can become damaged as they grow older or if they fall ill.
Your baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells have the ability to replicate and produce various different cell types within the body to replace any damaged ones. That’s why these cord blood stem cells are considered extremely valuable within the world of medicine in treating an increasing range of conditions and diseases where these specialised cells are damaged and need replacing.
In recent years, cord blood stem cells have been at the forefront of regenerative medicine and are currently being used in clinical trials worldwide for many diseases which were once deemed ‘incurable’. These cells have even been used in clinical trials to improve the symptoms of COVID-19, with some pretty promising results.
And because these stem cells are collected straight after birth from the umbilical cord, they are the richest and purest sources of stem cells that your child will ever have. Who knew that something so small could be so powerful?
What’s great about umbilical cord blood stem cells is that they are also easier to extract than most other cells. The collection procedure takes place after baby is born and in a completely separate room, so you won’t even notice it’s happening! This means you can focus on you and your newest family member.
Saving your baby’s umbilical cord blood ensures that they can access these stem cells at any time throughout their lives should they ever need them. Now, parents have the option of choosing cord blood banking as part of their birth plan. Cord blood banking is simply the process of collecting the umbilical cord blood stem cells and storing them privately for the exclusive use of the family.
With state-of-the-art facilities in the UK, the UAE and across the world, Cells4Life provides one of the leading cord blood collection and courier services to parents who want to save their baby’s cord blood. If you are interested in learning more about cord blood banking, visit cells4life.com or download your free guide to cord blood banking here.
