Your baby's cord blood cells can be a valuable resource to treat any diseases that the baby may have, and it can also save other babies' lives, be used in research , or be used to cure diseases of close relatives in your own family.
Collecting cord blood does not hurt your baby and unless specified to the doctor, the cord blood will be discarded soon after delivery.
There are two options:
Donating cord blood
You could register to donate your baby's cord blood to a public bank local to you. It will be used to research cures for life-threatening diseases, or save another baby's life if a match is found. You should be healthy (no diseases such as HIV+, Hepatitis B or C) to donate. Check with your hospital if this is available and contact the banks early on (2 months before delivery).
Note that the cord blood is not saved for your family.
Whether or not you donate cord blood, you could request cord blood to save your baby's life, if ever such a need were to arise.
Storing cord blood
Private cord blood registries store your baby's cord blood for a fee each year. The cord blood cells can be used to treat a sibling or a close relative if there is a match, or even cure your baby of certain diseases. That said, if your baby suffers from a genetic disorder, it is possible that the cord blood cells have the same genetic code in them and hence may not be useful as a cure. Contact the bank a few weeks before delivery so that there is enough time to receive the collection kit in the mail. If you run out of time, check with your OB to see if he or she has a spare kit. Also coordinate with the bank for picking up the kit after delivery.
