Delayed cord clamping & cord blood banking
As more and more research highlights the benefits of delayed cord clamping, it’s understandable that umbilical cord blood stem cell banking raises many questions for parents-to-be. Here we explain how delayed cord clamping works alongside cord blood stem cell banking to help protect your baby’s health.
Delayed cord clamping (also known as optimal cord clamping) is the process of clamping or cutting the umbilical cord after blood pulsations have stopped, or after the placenta has been delivered. It provides your baby with a healthy blood volume and iron levels as he/she transitions out of the womb, including a full count of red blood cells, stem cells and immune cells.
The latest guidance from The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends delayed cord clamping (for most newborns) within the first 30-60 seconds after birth for all babies. It’s estimated that in this time, 80% of the umbilical cord blood is returned to the baby. To learn more about cord blood banking, visit Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. This helps to protect from conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia and vascular instability.
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Delayed cord clamping with cord blood banking
It is a common myth that collecting cord blood prevents babies from reaping the benefits of cord clamping. In fact, a fraction of the approximate 200ml of blood in the umbilical cord and placenta is required to bank cord blood cells.
With cord blood collection, your baby will still receive the required amount of essential oxygen and nutrients found in maternal blood. The fraction of blood that is banked can then be cryogenically frozen and used to help treat potential diseases years into the future. Current treatments include Leukaemia, Anaemia, bone marrow cancers and inherited immunity disorders.
Even with a small amount of umbilical cord blood, Future Health Biobank achieves up to 99% recovery rate pre-freeze, after processing your sample. This leaves the most stem cells possible and gives your child the best chance of treatment in the future.
Why choose Future Health?
Once you’ve decided that cord blood stem cell banking is for you, the next decision is which biobank to trust with your baby’s sample. Here’s why we think you should choose us;