The Cord: To Bank or Not To Bank?

Moms are evenly divided on this fence! So many of us have been touched by a illness or fear the worst for our babies. The idea of banking the blood inside the umbilical cord after delivery to one day heal someone in your family in enticing. The cord blood is so amazing that there are benefits to letting your own child immediately receive the blood. What to do? Use it now or later or not at all?

Use it now
Some moms keep the umbilical cord attached until it drains of blood and stops pulsing to know that the baby has received the final nourishment. The NYTimes reported that "a new analysis has found that delaying clamping for at least a minute after birth, which allows more time for blood to move from the placenta, significantly improves iron stores and hemoglobin levels in newborns and does not increase the risks to mothers". Other moms enjoy a "lotus birth" where they keep the cord attached to the baby for around 10 days until it naturally falls off. Even ABC News covered Lotus Birth!

Use it later
If the umbilical cord is clamped and cut immediately after birth, a good amount of blood remains inside of the cord. The cord in this state contains priceless stem cells in their purest and most healing form. Some hospitals and birthing centers have access to public cord banks where you can donate the cord and know that it will immediately be used by someone who needs it. You can also privately "bank" the cord in the event that the baby or someone else in the family needs access to these stem cells. According to LifeBankUSA, "The ability of stem cells to save lives via cord blood banking has proven successful for replacing abnormal or diseased cells, and treating life-threatening blood disorders such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.  In fact, since 1988 stem cell transplants have been used to treat some 80 diseases." There is a giveaway taking place until the end of December where all you have to do is LIKE Life Bank USA on Facebook to be entered to win one of three Britax Marathon 70-G3 Convertible Car Seats. It is a great carseat and an easy entry. 

Click here to enter by liking the Facebook page.