If you are a mother, or a mother to be, you would have, at one point, considered banking your baby’s cord blood. That decision alone comes with many perks and benefits. Cord blood is rich in healthy stem cells and immune system cells, both of which the baby, or any compatible family member, may utilize in the treatment of certain conditions like leukemia, metabolic disorders, neuroblastoma, bone marrow failure, and even cancers. Having these at the back of your mind, let us find out what a cord blood bank is—the place where cord blood is collected and stored for future use.
Fact: Did you know that cord blood has a very minute amount of what the majority know and refer to as blood? During the extraction process, one of the goals is to keep the amount of red blood cells as little as possible. Moreso, RBCs can even reduce the quality of the cord blood.
What is a Cord Blood Bank?
A cord blood bank, like a blood bank, is a certified lab or bank where cord blood is collected and stored for future uses. There are two types of umbilical cord blood banks, and they are public cord blood banks and private cord blood banks.
Public Cord Blood Banking
Think of this type of cord blood banking as you patriotically paying your tax, which the government then utilizes for the benefit of the whole country. In the long run, you may directly or indirectly benefit from it; you also may never benefit from it any way. Every year, loads of desperate people troop in to public blood banks hoping to get compatible stem cells for treating themselves or their family members. When you donate your baby’s cord blood to public cord blood banks, you are automatically a national hero without your knowing.
Donating your baby’s cord blood is free, and it is donated to whoever comes for it in the future for free. The Food and Drug Administration monitors and regulates all the donations of cord blood, ensuring that they are properly collected and preserved.
Private Cord Blood Banking
The second type of cord blood banks is the private cord blood bank. If you are keen on preserving your baby’s cord blood for his/her use in the future, or even for yourself and any other compatible family member, private cord blood banking is the way to go. This even comes in handy when you currently have a family member that needs a stem cell transplant. Using a private cord blood banking means you can extract and process your baby’s cord blood for that purpose. However, it comes at a high cost, and on top of that, the FDA does not regulate the activities of private cord blood banks.
Closing Remarks
Depending on the situation and circumstance, you can always choose what suits you. If you are donating for donating sake, public cord blood banks are the way to go. However, if you have a family member that urgently needs a stem cell transplant, then a private cord blood bank is the best option for you. You can check the list of the best cord blood banks in America at https://bestcordbloodbanks.com/.
