The umbilical cord represents the emotional and physical connection between a mother and her foetus. While the baby is in the womb, the umbilical cord helps the baby get nourishment, nutrients, and oxygen from the mother and simultaneously eliminates waste through foetal circulation.
So, it won’t be wrong to say that the umbilical cord is the only saviour of the baby while it is in her mother’s womb.
However, the story does not end here….
How umbilical cord helps a baby survive health issues in the future?
With medical innovation and research, it has been proved that umbilical cord blood is also of great importance even when the baby is delivered. If saved, the cord blood could help the baby in the future to treat diseases like cancer, anaemia, immune system disorder, metabolic disorder, and bone marrow failure. The count does not stop here. It treats nearly 80 diseases with the abundance of stem cells present in cord blood.
Why should you learn about cord blood banking and its importance?
Umbilical cord blood banking is a medical process of collecting life-saving stem cells from the placenta and cord and storing it for medical use in the future. The stem cells are the potential life-saving elements that play a crucial role. These are immature cells carry the potential to assume any cell form to repair the body system.
However, it only happens in a laboratory-controlled environment and in the body under the right condition. During favourable conditions, stem cells divide to form daughter cells. Under the right conditions, Daughter cells either form self-renewal cells or become specialized cells to perform specialized functions in different parts of the body.
So, specifically, stem cells of the body carry the potential ability to generate new cells.
Why Stem Cells are the hope of doctors and researchers worldwide?
In the medical and research arena, stem cells are a hot topic. They come under the radar of doctors and researchers for their natural ability to repair damaged body cells and treat diseases like cancer by generating new cells.
Plenty of other milestones which can be achieved with stem cells are-
Demystifying the occurrence of diseases
Systemic study and experiments over stem cells can reveal hidden treasures to boost the healthcare system. Watching stem cells grow into specialized cells in heart muscles, bones, and other organs can help deduce the reason behind the occurrence of diseases that still have no cure.
Achieving new cells generation to replace diseased once
Stem cells carry the potential ability to form into specialized cells. If given the right environment, they can be grown into specific cells to repair the damaged tissues. However, still, there is a long mile to go for achieving this target. But, in the future, if this happens, a new era of medical excellence will start.
Doctors will be capable of treating acute diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type diabetes, spinal cord injuries, sclerosis, etc.
Testing new drugs for effectiveness
Stem cells can help achieve excellence in the pharmaceutical industry as well. With success, testing investigational drugs will be a cakewalk. Testing of investigational drugs on specialized cells generated by stem cells will show the efficiency of a drug for treating the cell disease.
Should a parent invest in cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking is for a cause that could help treat your baby against disease in the future. Also, as the cause is a hypothetical situation that may or not happen with your child, many parents seem sceptical about saving it.
But if you presume it like life insurance with a safety cover, you could be able to understand the zest behind saving cord blood in the blood bank. Like you need insurance to keep your family safe against financial set back after you are gone; however, you never wish yourself to die at all.
Similarly, saving cord blood is also like insurance which will secure your child’s health in the future when he gets sick and need stem cells for treatment. However, you won’t wish him to fall sick and make use of the saved umbilical blood.
So, the decision is totally on your will. If you find life insurance of great importance, cord blood banking is quite similar to it.
The future is uncertain
On a closing note, the future is uncertain. No one knows the health complexities their child may face while growing. Also, it is unpredictable how medical researchers will make use of cord blood to treat acute health conditions in the future. Therefore, you should secure the kid’s umbilical cord blood. It may find use in the future to treat potential health issues that occurred in your kid.
Choose the right cord blood bank
There are two common ways to secure cord blood, at public or community banks and private cord banks. However, the most preferred should be a community cord blood bank with infinite cord blood inventory, financial assistance, and financially affordable plans.
