As expectant parents, it’s only natural for your baby’s safety to come first. Everything else slowly fades into the background, and every conversation begins to revolve around giving your little one a healthy future. While there’s no way to control everything that lies ahead, there is a simple step you can take today to protect your baby from the impact of certain serious diseases in the future. Here we are talking about cord blood banking.
This article breaks down everything you need to know about cord blood banking. Also, we will talk about public and private cord blood banking that can help parents make a thoughtful and informed decision.
What Is Cord Blood Banking?
Also known as stem cell banking, this process involves collecting and storing blood from a newborn’s umbilical cord. This blood is rich in stem cells, which can help treat life-threatening diseases, such as leukaemia, genetic disorders, and immune system diseases.
What Is Public Stem Cell Banking?
Public cord blood banking means donating your baby’s cord blood to a public bank so it can help patients who may need a stem cell transplant. The donation is completely free, and once stored, the cord blood becomes part of global stem cell registries, allowing patients around the world to access a matching unit when needed.
Benefits:
- No Cost to Parents: Donating your baby’s cord blood to a public bank is completely free of charge.
- Advancing Medical Research: Donated cord blood may support lifesaving treatments today and contribute to future research that helps advance stem cell therapies.
- Helping Families in Need: Public donations can offer hope to families who have not opted for private banking and are searching for a matching stem cell unit for transplantation.
Disadvantages:
- No Personal Access: Your family cannot access the cord blood in case it is required in the future. It’s available in the public pool and can be accessed on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Minimal Availability: Not all hospitals or areas have facilities to collect public cord blood donations.
What Is Private Banking?
Private cord blood banking involves paying a fee to store your baby’s cord blood in a private facility, giving your family exclusive access to those stem cells. Since the sample is reserved for personal use, it can be retrieved if required for certain medical treatments in the future.
However, in India, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) advises families to consider public cord blood banking instead of private storage. This recommendation is based on the very low probability of a child needing their own (autologous) cord blood stem cells, which is estimated to be less than 0.04%. In addition, autologous cord blood stem cells are currently not used in the treatment of conditions such as metabolic disorders, haematological cancers, or genetic diseases.
Benefits:
- Exclusive Access: Your family retains full ownership of your baby’s cord blood, ensuring the stem cells are reserved for your personal use if required in the future.
- Potential Family Compatibility: The stored cord blood is a perfect genetic match for your baby and may also offer a higher chance of compatibility for siblings or other close relatives.
Cons:
- Cost Considerations: Private cord blood banking typically involves a one-time collection fee along with annual storage charges,, which may not be feasible for every family’s budget.
- Low Probability of Use: The chances of a family needing the stored cord blood are statistically low, although future medical advancements could potentially expand its use.
After learning about both private and public banking systems, we now need to understand that the best option is a combination of both – LifeCell’s Community Stem Cell Banking. This gives the privilege of a private bank, while also providing common pool sharing of a public bank.
Here’s Why Choose LifeCell’s Community Stem Cell Banking
Before getting to the core of it, let us inform you that LifeCell is the only stem cell bank in the world to offer a Community Stem Cell Banking program. In community stem cell banking, parents bank their baby’s cord blood, which is added to a common pool of stem cells. These, along with the pre-existing repository of 85,000+ cord blood units, ensure that you have a >97% chance of finding an Indian-origin stem cell match when the need arises.
The program benefits not only babies but the entire family against those 80+ life-threatening medical conditions.
Summing Up
So folks, we have shared the pool of knowledge and now, the choice is completely yours! In this blog, we have provided you with enough information on LifeCell’s stem cell banking. So, if you’re pregnant, grab the chance to protect your family with India’s largest and most preferred stem cell bank for up to 75 years! By banking your baby’s umbilical cord blood cells with LifeCell, you are protecting your family’s well-being and supporting the betterment of others’ lives.