Having the capability of creating life-forming cells, cord blood has emerged as one of the most extraordinary discoveries in the past 2 decades. The process of cord blood banking is a highly specialized procedure that is taken up after the delivery of the placenta. Numerous positive outcomes have emerged in multiple cord blood cell transplants over the years and this is why medical practitioners are prioritizing the collection of these stem cells. Patients who are suffering from leukemia, liver disorders, heart attacks, some types of blindness, immune system disorders, diabetes, spinal cord damages etc, get relief from their severe conditions after cord blood cells are transplanted to them.
Cord Blood Vs Bone Marrow
Practitioners have made use of the umbilical cord blood collected in several life threatening diseases that had earlier treatment options like drugs and radiation treatments, often a combination of both. Later, bone marrow transplants came as another alternative treatment to medicines, radiation and chemotherapy, though the later are still used in several cases. Painful extraction and application of bone marrow stem cells is one of the major disadvantages of bone marrow transplants. Moreover, the availability of the right donor is an issue most patients and their doctors struggle with. With cord blood in the picture, patients can be their own donors! The nature of the stem cells extracted from cord blood makes it even more valuable.
Stem cells drained from the umbilical cords of babies can develop any type of cells required to cure certain types of diseases and decrease the incidence of graft versus host disease in transplants. One disadvantage, however, is the cord blood quantity, which is undoubtedly less than what patients can get in bone marrow.
Success Stories
Following are some of the case histories of cord blood cell treatments, that reinforce the importance of cord blood collection –
Adult Leukemia
Benefits of cord blood preservation in treating childhood leukemia have been evident in the primitive period of its uses. Now treatments of adult leukemia with these cells have shown success as well. A patient, Stephan Sprague was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in 1995 and had been treated with chemotherapy for about seventeen years. Later, in April 1997, when he reached the final stage, he considered a clinical trial of cord blood cell treatment. After starting a cord blood cell transplant in November 1997, he went to become cancer free within 9 years.
Spinal Cord Injuries
A team of cord blood cell researchers transplanted stem cells to a thirty seven year old woman who was undergoing a spinal cord injury. Even after being paralyzed for about 19 years, she showed fast recovery. She was injected cord blood cells right at the particular area of injury in her spine. Within three weeks of transplantation, progress was noteworthy. She started walking with a little support and today she claims to walk without any assistance.
Krabbe Disease
Researchers of Duke University and University of North Carolina from Chapel Hill claimed to show outstanding progress in treating this disease with cord blood cells. Researchers state that newborn cord blood cell recipients, with no symptoms of Krabbe disease, have greater possibility of recovery than older babies.
Instances abound of the success of cord blood stem cells in treating various disorders. Cord blood preservation may sound expensive initially, but one cannot deny the potential a single unit of cord blood possesses. There will soon be a day when diseases such as Lymphoproliferative disease, Thalassemia and Fanconi Anemia will no longer be difficult to cure.
Cord blood stem cells can treat various malignant diseases like adult leukemia, spinal cord injuries, Krabbe disease and thalassemia. Success stories have emerged in areas where multiple cord blood cell transplants are needed. Doctors are prioritizing the collection of umbilical cord stem cells. This is one of the reasons why more and more people are opting for cord blood storage in a cord blood bank. Cord Blood Banking offers more information on cord blood preservation, tips for selecting right cord blood bank and costs of cord blood banking.
Pregnancy Birth – The Gala Preparations Are Underway
The final stages of week by week pregnancy are here. The long journey that began with anxiety and excitement has finally reached its conclusive stages when in just a few days a lovely child would fill your world with joy. A new chapter would soon begin and if this is your first pregnancy, then be thoroughly prepared to take up the new roles and responsibilities life has to offer. If you thought pregnancy was a tiring time and pregnancy delivery could be difficult, then wait until you undergo the awaited change. Life would soon impart a new perspective for you to see & analyze situations differently.
Are You All Set?
Approximately 36 weeks of week by week pregnancy have passed. With just a few days left, give a final check to all the preparations.
Have you secured an appointment with the doctor?
Has the room been reserved?
Is the bag that must be carried to the hospital ready?
Have you made a final decision regarding the painless pregnancy delivery option?
Is the baby’s nursery decorated?
Are all important numbers noted in the phone diary?
Is post pregnancy shopping through? You would soon require breastfeeding pillow, nursing pajamas, nursing gown, breastfeeding tops, nursing tops, breastfeeding cover, breastfeeding pump and 100 more such things.
The Body Prepares For ‘D’ Day
In these last days of your week-by-week pregnancy, the baby must have occupied a lower slot i.e. the entire mass inside must have shifted to the lower region in the pelvis area. This process is known as lightening and lightens up the situation for the mother. This shifting down imparts much more room to the pregnant woman’s internal organs thus facilitating easier breathing movements. First time mothers can expect lightening slightly earlier than those who have already undergone the process before.
Another process that soon follows, while the body prepares for childbirth, is effacement. It entails effacing of cervix, this however, can be noticed only by the health care practitioner. Dilation i.e. opening up of the cervix is next in line. Many of you, during these days or rather just before the final day, might feel highly energetic and active.
To accompany all these processes, are Braxton Hicks contractions. These are the body’s signal indicating preparations for labor. These are usually painless contractions that become stronger and more painful as the much awaited due date approaches. However, do not consider the stronger and painful contractions as definite indicator of expected pregnancy birth. They could simply be a false alarm. Nevertheless you must be fully prepared all through these last days of week by week pregnancy.
Pregnancy birth is the culmination of Pregnancy Week By Week tracking. This can be more exciting if it is your first pregnancy. Immediately after pregnancy delivery, you need to take care of breastfeeding items such as breastfeeding pillow, nursing pajamas, nursing gown and much more.
Why Store Cord Blood In A Cord Blood Bank?
Many people ask this question about the need and benefit of storing cord blood cells in a cord blood bank at such a high cost. The answer is – the umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells that have the potential to help in the treatment of around 50 serious diseases. Some of them include leukemia, genetic and immune disorders, cardio vascular diseases, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, and several cancers.
There are three kinds of people in this world, who opt for cord blood storage or cord blood banking:
The first ones are the families who crave for comfort and assurance that cord blood banking provides. Should the need arise; they have their baby’s cord blood readily available.
The second ones are the people who are excited with this new discovery and wish to become a part of the stem cell revolution.
The third ones are people who are in need of cord blood to treat their family members who are in grave medical condition.
The umbilical cord blood contains the same hematopoietic stem cells found in bone marrow. These stem cells are elemental constituents of blood and immune system of the body.
Do you know that every year, about 14,000 people in America alone need a bone marrow transplant for treating their diseases? And the scary part is that not everyone is ready to give their bone marrow, therefore, there is a constant dearth of donors. As it’s said, “necessity is the mother of invention”; in a bid to meet the needs of patients, researchers have discovered an alternative source of stem cells - umbilical cord blood.
Save Your Child
Saving cord blood is not simply for donation purposes, but also for your personal use to save your child from some of the fatal diseases. By saving the umbilical cord of your baby, you are sort of securing your child’s life.
Just 50 ml of cord blood harbors millions of stem cells. These cells from your baby’s umbilical blood are compatible with her immune system, hence, can be utilized in combating a large number of big diseases, including Hodgkin’s disease and leukemia, WITHOUT any risk of rejection. THIS IS THE MAJOR ADVANTAGE OF CORD BLOOD TRANSFUSION.
A Unique Treasure
The cord blood stem cells of your baby are unique and are better than other kinds of stem cells. Firstly, they are immature and have a greater probability to be a suitable match for your family members. Research has shown that patients have double chances of survival if their stem cell donor is their own relative. The association of graft vs. host disease (GVHD) is lesser with cord blood stem cell treatment than in other stem cell treatments. It is important to know that the main cause of death of patients in stem cell transplantation cases is due to rejection of cells by the patient’s body.
Therefore, among the wise decisions that you take in life, umbilical cord blood banking should be one of them.
ADVANTAGES OF CORD BLOOD STORAGE
Cord blood collection is a simple and painless process. However, it has to be done at birth.
There is no requirement of general anesthesia in harvesting cord blood, unlike bone marrow.
The stored cord blood is readily available at the time of need.
There is lower procurement cost as compared to that in bone marrow or peripheral blood.
There is 100 per cent compatibility for your baby and 25 per cent probability of turning out to be a perfect match for the sibling. In addition, it has the potential to be used for parents as well as grandparents.
Thus, storing cord blood is like saving a life!
You would have heard the suggestion to save your baby’s cord blood in a cord blood bank! If you were wondering, why people suggest umbilical cord blood preservation or cord blood banking, visit Cord Blood Banking to get an answer to your question, know about the cord blood banking costs and then decide whether you want to join the revolution!