Today, it is a well known fact that the umbilical cord blood collected from newly born babies has a great utility in serving those with a curable blood related disorders.

Considering this, it does seem a surprise that there is not much awareness on the process of cord blood collection.

Some would-be mothers tend to panic when they hear about cord blood collection from their babies as they think that some amount of blood from the baby will be lost and the baby might be harmed during the cord blood collection process.

People are gradually getting the awareness that cord blood collection does not happen from the mother or the baby, but from the umbilical cord that had connected the baby to the mother. Further cord blood collection is done only after the baby’s birth so it does not hinder the birth process nor does it affect the mother or the baby in any way.

Recently hospitals, public and private cord blood banks provide a lot of information, pamphlets and reference material to train the obstetricians, mid wives and parents about the various uses of cord blood, its collection, storage, preservation, retrieval etc.

It is very essential that the hospital staff involved in the delivery of a baby is trained about the process of cord blood collection. In order to collect, immediately after the umbilical cord is cut, the remnant blood cells present inside the cut umbilical cord will be poured inside a bag, specifically used for collecting this blood.

This cord blood is then sent to a cord blood bank which performs specific tests to ensure that the stem cells are free of any infection or disease.

Cord blood collection is the first step in the process of storage and preservation of these stem cells for a future use. Once tested and found eligible, the blood is preserved by adding special chemical agents and stored in specially made containers where the blood can be stored for periods of up to ten years.

In case a need for the cord blood arises, from the donor’s family or from anywhere else, the cord blood is retrieved, processed and sent to the requesting hospital, where it will be used in the surgery or transplant. Cord blood is a boon to a lot of patients who have been waiting a long time for bone marrow donors for stem cells required for transplants.