By Holly Sosa
This post is sponsored by LifebankUSA. Thank you readers for supporting the companies that support this blog and my family.
In the past, I have shared with you why I feel cord blood banking is so important. Today, I want to revisit my post from two years ago and share information and facts with you about cord blood banking.
You’ve heard about cord blood banking, I’m sure. You were handed a brochure at the OB/GYN’s office after that first dreamy prenatal visit, high on hearing baby’s heartbeat for the first time, you tucked it away into your purse, not seeing it again until you toss out those old receipts and it along with them. Cord blood banking is important. But do you know why? Do you know what cord blood is good for or how it’s used? It can all be really confusing, I know. And when you’re drunk on baby love, you’re too busy picking out mobiles and buying cribs to remember to pull out that brochure. Trust me, sister, I get it. That’s why I’m here today to interrupt you’re blog reading with a quick and simple breakdown on why this is something you should consider for your baby and your entire family.
What is cord blood & why is it important? Cord blood is the blood that is in your baby’s umbilical cord. It’s important because it contains stem cells, which are a valuable resource. Doctors can collect this blood as well as blood from your placenta and store it for future medical use.
Future medical use? Stem cells are incredible because they are basically what your entire body was formed from; they are the building blocks of our entire system. Stem cells contain the ability to form into other types of cells that can help repair tissue, organs, blood vessels and can even be used for therapies to treat various cancers. The body doesn’t recognize stem cells as foreign, so the likelihood of rejection is very low.
Why would I ever need my baby’s cord blood or stem cells? If your baby, or even a matching family member, became ill with cancer or a neurological or auto-immune disorder, stem cells can be used to help them heal or in some cases cure them. A full list of diseases that can be treated with cord blood can be found here.
Essentially, banking your baby’s cord blood can help protect them from future diseases. This cord blood and the valuable cells it contains can not only help your baby, but also a family member or other child. Stem cells are a precious, invaluable tool your family should be able to have access to in case of future need.
LifebankUSA is currently the only company that offers cord blood, placenta blood, and tissue banking. If you are currently pregnant, I encourage you to consider this company for your cord blood banking. You only have one chance to bank your baby’s precious cord blood and that’s at birth. You can enroll to receive some free information which explains more in depth what I touched on here. LifebankUSA offers affordable banking and can also help you with a payment plan, if needed.
Be sure to head over an enter LifebankUSA’s Peace of Mind Facebook contest, where you can enter to win a Graco carseat. The sweepstakes will end on May 29th, 2015 at 12:00AM EST.
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