Today many parents are choosing to have their newborn baby’s cord blood stored privately in a cord blood bank as a future source of stem cells for medical treatments. There is, however, an alternative to private storage. This is to donate the blood to public storage so that it is available to help others.

The banking of blood collected from the umbilical cord following the birth of a baby plays a very important part in saving lives. The blood has a particularly high number of stem cells which are useful in treating many life-threatening diseases.

Two types of cord blood banks are available for storage. At a public bank you can donate the blood so that it is available for use by anyone to help someone with a life-threatening disease. Unlike a private bank, where your baby’s stem cells are stored for the exclusive use of your child and your family, when you donate to a public bank there is no guarantee that they will be available to you if you should need them.

Some public banks may use the donated blood for research purposes instead of treatments that directly help sick patients. Once you have decided to go ahead and donate your child’s cord blood, you will need to find a participating hospital or public bank in your community. It can be difficult to find a bank to give your donation to since there is a limited number of public banks in existence. You will then need to tell the bank that you want to donate to it so that they can begin the paperwork and all of the other formalities. This needs to be done well in advance so that it can be completed by the date of your delivery. Arrangements between the hospital and the bank should usually be in place by the 34th week of your pregnancy. The donor usually needs to be at least 18 years old, however some banks are able to take donations from mothers who are 16 years old. The donor must also be in good general health. The cord blood bank will inform you if you are eligible to donate. After the blood is collected, it is sent to the public cord blood bank where it is tested and is then stored for future use. The identity of the donor will never be disclosed by the bank, so their anonymity is guaranteed.

As more and more people donate to a public bank, more research can be done and a greater number of people may have their lives saved thanks to these donations.

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