It has become on of those talks you HAVE TO HAVE when you fall pregnant:
(Please note, I have included a LINK to a Petition that I am supporting. If you are interested, feel free to jump over there first from HERE)
Will I store my baby's umbilical cord?
Why? How? It's gross! and where? In my fridge?
Don't worry, if you do decide to do it, you have a few options and storing it at home is NOT one of them!
A few companies have now set up in the UK to help you store your precious in state of the art containers.
So now to the Why?
Cord blood contains stem cells which are cells that haven't decided what to transform themselves into.
For example, cord blood contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and very small embryonic like stem cells (VSELs), all of which may be usable in stem cell treatment and increase the therapies available to your child. The cord tissue also contains MSCs in addition to unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs), vascular endothelial stem cells and perivascular stem cells, which are also expected to have great therapeutic benefit in the future. (Excerpt from Cells 4 Life website)
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| Cell types produced from MSCs |
So with a little help from scientists, those stem cells could be fed with a few nutrients to help them differenciate into a specific cell type.
Those differenciated cells can then be used to treat someone who has a disease or a condition. This is called regenerative therapy because by introducing those cells into our body, it can kickstart the repair programme needed!
This type of therapy is in its infancy but already scientists have witnessed the phenomenal potential that it brings. For example, check out this article about a little girl who was cured using her cord blood stem cells that her parents got stored
Please check out this link to see a list of diseases that are being studied and case studies where stem cells therapies have been successfully applied.
Is it ethical?
It's not controversial at all like it used to be with embryonic stem cells because cord blood stem cells are usually thrown away, there is no life in it, baby used it for 9 months and once (s)he's born, (s)he doesn't need it anymore.
Keeping it could save that baby's life if, by an unfortunate twist of fate, (s)he develops a disease that is, by a fortunate twist of life, treatable with stem cells!
Who do I ask?
Not many women, and nurses/midwives for that matter, know that you can donate your baby's umbilical cord to the UK NHS bank! Instead, your baby's umbilical cord just ends up in the bin! WHAT A WASTE!!! Don't you think?
Even fewer people know that you can keep it for your own use when/if it will be needed!
I myself did it using the company Cells 4 Life. It is relatively non expensive, the price could scare a few I admit, when you add this cost to all the other bills that are required for a newborn!
But if you look at it as an investment, my baby is insured for £100/year for 25 years! And that is Priceless - and quite cheap! Isn't your Sky or phone bill 10x more? Even my house insurance is 3x more!
In London, there is an NHS trust in Barking/Havering and Redbridge that is thinking about refusing private procurement of umbilical cord blood! Why should it be their choice?
Think about all the women living in that area who won't get to decide what to do with their child's umbilical cord!!!! Please do come over HERE and sign my petition against it!!! THANK you for them
LINK to Petition: https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/barking-havering-and-redbridge-hospital-allow-private-procurement-of-umbilical-cord-blood
What more?
The company I used not only allows you to keep the cord blood but also the tissue, and store it as a whole as opposed to purified and reduced cord blood like other companies do. For more information on this, please do check out their website.
Now, some people might say it could be a lot of money wasted and we don't even know if it's working, there are not many diseases treated by this kind of therapy, etc...
I reply AS YET!
This science is at the beginning, every day scientists are discovering new and exciting facts and the list of diseases and conditions treatable is growing! Imagine in 25 years? In 50 years? When your child will need them? By then the list might be extraordinary, but if you haven't banked those cells at the birth, you or he won't be able to use them in the future!
The opportunities to save lives are there, to potentially save your child's life!
Also, let me take this opportunity to remind you of Cosy Science café as their last talk was about regenerative medicine :)
See you Soon for more Sexy Science,
Please note that Although Cells4Life is now a Sponsor of SSS, this article has not been requested and my views are mine only.
Love to read your post very much. Really fabulous write up you are. I got huge of important idea from your post. A big thanks for sharing with us !!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment
DeleteThis is a really interesting post; I didn't know any of this. I had only heard of umbilical cords being kept to be eaten (!) or for sentimentality. Thank you for sharing this - really useful info
ReplyDeleteI know, it's crazy that NHS or others are not giving the option or making people aware of all the benefits of storing your baby's umbilical cord. This area of medicine is fast growing and many diseases are potentially curable thanks to vital stem cells.
Deletewhen my babies cord and clip feel of i kept his , its still safe in his memory box x
ReplyDeleteMe too, I kept it in a box. The rest of it, like the massively long umbilical cord linking him to the placenta has been stored by the company I mentioned. All the blood and tissues are stored in case he ever needs treatment with his own stem cells.
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