Bump & Beyond - Cord blood donation

When you come to the hospital to deliver your baby, you may have the opportunity to donate cord blood. So, what does that mean? Let’s talk about the cord blood donation process and how it can help others!

Between delivering my first and second child, medicine advanced, and donating cord blood was opened to vaginal deliveries in addition to cesarean births. So, I was happy to donate my cord blood when I delivered my youngest daughter. But cord blood donation, like many aspects of labor, delivery, and the postpartum period, is a personal decision. Learning more about the process can help you to make an informed decision about donating.

What is cord blood?

Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born. Cord blood is valuable because it is rich in hematopoietic stem cells, which can rebuild a healthy blood and immune system. These cells treat over 80 serious conditions, including blood cancers, immune deficiencies, and genetic disorders. Cord blood requires a less strict donor match than bone marrow and is collected safely and painlessly. It is also quickly available compared to bone marrow. A cord blood unit can be selected and delivered to a transplant center in less than one week, whereas it can take two months or more to find an unrelated marrow or peripheral blood donor.

Who can donate cord blood?

To donate umbilical cord blood to a public bank, an expectant mother must be at least 18 years old, pregnant with a single baby (not twins or multiples), and deliver at a participating hospital. The mother must have no history of HIV, hepatitis B or C, cancer, or systemic disorders. They must also be free of major infectious or genetic diseases. Additionally, you may not be a candidate if you have tattoos, unsterile body piercings, or received acupuncture within 12 months before delivery.

Infirmary Health partners with LifeSouth for cord blood donation at Mobile Infirmary and Thomas Hospital. LifeSouth Cord Blood Bank is a community-based public cord blood bank that collects and stores umbilical cord blood. They participate in the network of public cord blood banks affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) Be The Match Registry and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research.

Cord blood collection process

An advantage of cord blood donation is that it does not impact delivery. The collection process is painless, and it will not interfere with the birthing process.

Your physician collects the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta. After your baby is born, the umbilical cord will be clamped, cut, and your baby will be safely in the nursery team’s care. Then, the cord blood can be collected from the umbilical vein in the cord. No blood sample is collected from your baby, and only a small sample will be obtained from you for testing. Often this blood sample can be collected at the same time as your post-delivery lab work.

Parents considering cord blood donation often wonder if this is still an option if they desire to delay cord clamping. Excitingly, the answer is yes! Discuss the timing of cord clamping with your obstetrician to review the risks and benefits and to inform your provider of your goals for delivery. The cord blood collection process begins immediately after the cord is clamped and cut – whenever that may be. From there, the obstetrician collects as much as they can for the donation.

What is the cost?

Cord blood donation is completely free to the person donating. LifeSouth Cord Blood Bank incurs the cost of collecting, testing, processing, and storing the cord blood. The cord blood unit is evaluated and, if it qualifies, the unit is frozen and stored. Then the donation is entered into the database to connect to people in need of donations. If there are too few cells, the cord blood may be used for other purposes, including research to advance medicine, or it may be discarded.

As I mentioned, cord blood donation is a personal decision. I tell patients in class that there are benefits to learning about the choices presented in labor and birth. Knowledge is power! Above all, I tell parents that informed decisions are best. Being informed will help you feel good about the choices you make in labor and delivery and in parenthood.

So, if you have any questions or concerns about donating cord blood, bring them up with your obstetrician at your next appointment. If you would like to read more about cord blood donation, you can check out the LifeSouth website. If you would like to read some inspiring stories of real families and how cord blood donations changed their lives, click here.