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Cord blood is the blood rich in stem cells that remains in a baby's umbilical cord and placenta following birth.
Parents have the choice, immediately after the birth of their baby, to preserve their baby's cord blood for use by their own family, or donate it to a public bank (if available), or to throw it away. Regrettably, this amazing resource is being discarded, its potential benefits lost forever, due to lack of knowledge by parents nationwide.
Of the 4 million births in the United States each year, more than 90 percent of the stem cells in cord blood are discarded as medical waste. However, approximately 50 percent of Americans could benefit from stem cell therapy at some point in their lifetime, according to the Stem Cell Research Foundation.
PregnancyWeekly's Cord Blood Educational Center was designed to help build awareness about the life-saving power of umbilical cord blood stem cells available to new families.
Courtesy/Copyright: Cordbloodawareness.org
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"There is no gift more valuable than storing our son Hunter's cord blood for him and our family. We would never be able to forgive ourselves if we were aware this was possible and didn't take advantage of it. It is the perfect insurance policy."
"I was shocked that cord blood could be used to treat so many diseases. One of the doctors even called it liquid gold."