One of the most common questions about cord blood banking is whether it is compatible with caesarean birth. Read this article to find out:
The umbilical cord blood collection process is very simple. It is a safe and painless procedure that occurs after your child is delivered, with no risk for mother or child.
After the baby has been born, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. A needle is inserted into the umbilical cord vein and blood the cord contains is drained into a container. The clamps and needle are gradually moved up the length of the umbilical cord towards the placenta, to obtain as much blood as possible.
If the umbilical cord blood isn’t collected, it is typically discarded as medical waste. The collection process occurs between the time the baby is born and before the placenta detaches from the uterine wall.
Some parents decide to use delayed clamping, so the baby can receive more of the blood inside the umbilical cord. While this reduces the amount of umbilical cord blood that is collected, there is still a sufficient amount of blood to make cord blood banking worthwhile.
The cord blood collection process takes about five minutes. Some maternal blood is also drawn for testing purposes. If you have decided to save the umbilical cord tissue, it is cleaned them placed in an additional container for transportation to the stem cell bank.
There is no difference to the collection process for caesarian births. Cells4Life provide a sterile pre-loaded blood collection bag that can be safely used in any sterile surgical environment.
After the blood and/or tissue have been collected, it is placed into a specially designed medical container and collected by courier. It is quickly delivered to the nearest laboratory where the tissue is tested. Parents receive a copy of the test results which will inform them of how many stem cells were collected by the procedure.
The entire cord blood collection process is simple, safe and easy!
WATCH VIDEO: CORD BLOOD AND CORD TISSUE COLLECTION PROCESS
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