Within the blood of your newborn's umbilical cord and placenta are stem cells. Banking this cord blood can allow for future use as an alternative to bone marrow transplants, the treatment of some cancers, immunodeficiencies, metabolic disorders and even heritable diseases, suggests BabyCenter.com. Saving the cord blood for your family or donating it to a cord blood bank for research opens the door to saving lives. The process is pain-free and safe but it is important to understand what donation entails.
Step 1
Contact the hospital or facility where you plan to deliver your baby to find out if it is part of the National Marrow Donor Program Network of banks. If it is registered, request information about donating cord blood. You may be given information to contact the cord blood bank. If your facility is not registered call Cryobanks International, an organization that accepts cord blood from any location within the United States, at (800)869-8608 or visit them online at Cryo-Intl.com/enroll/donating. Your facility may have other suggestions on other cord banks available to you.
Step 2
Speak with a representative of the cord banks that are available to you. Ask if you are responsible for any charges associated with collecting, storing and delivering the cord blood to the bank. The fees can be over $1,000 for collection alone. Marrow.org points out that public bank donation does not cost the donor anything. Private banks may have their own guidelines and it is important that you discuss this with a representative from that particular bank.
Step 3
Decide which cord blood bank you will use and notify your health care provider. You may also want to notify your facility of your decision to find out if it has any special requests, as far as forms or procedures. Ask both the facility and your health care provider if they charge for the collection of the cord blood if it is being donated. Some will volunteer their time for this but others may charge you for the procedure. CharityGuide.org recommends having these preparations taken care of by the 34th week of pregnancy.
Step 4
Complete your enrollment in the cord blood bank's program. This process varies for each facility but typically requires a complete medical history, a blood sample and a consent form. Review the consent form to fully understand what will be done with the cord blood once it has been donated. Some banks use the cord blood for transplants while others use it strictly for research. If there is an option to specify what you want done with it, be sure you make this election.
Step 5
Bring the cord blood bank collection kit with you to the hospital when you are about to deliver your baby. Collection must occur within 10 to 15 minutes of the birth. Some facilities will already have received this collection kit from the bank. The facility will handle the cord blood at this point. You have fulfilled all your responsibilities for the donation once the cord blood has been collected.
