Should You Donate Cord Blood?

~What donating cord blood really means for your baby~

In the remarkable transition to life on the outside, the baby’s physiology undergoes numerous complex changes, many of which are not fully understood. Among these include breathing air through the lungs and the circulatory changes that accompany this new way of oxygenating the blood.

Ideally, the umbilical cord continues to pulsate as it supports this transition and operates with its specialized valves and vessels to see that the placental blood is circuited properly and the baby receives its proper blood volume. All of this takes several minutes, and the process culminates finally with the birth of the placenta.

Delayed cord clamping describes the practice of allowing this physiologic process to unfold naturally by waiting to clamp the umbilical cord until sometime after it stops pulsating.

Contrast this approach with the modern medical practice of early cord clamping, which means cutting the cord immediately after the baby is born.

Research has clearly shown the risks of early cord clamping and the benefits of delayed clamping. Early clamping is associated with 20-60% diminished blood volume and subsequent anemia. It has also been linked to HDN (Hemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn) and other health problems. One study found that delaying cord clamping for as little as two minutes after the birth resulted in improved iron status at six months of age.

So how does this relate to cord blood banking?

For the vast majority of practitioners, cord blood collection necessitates the practice of early cord clamping. According to current guidelines, the timing is reported to be as short as 15 seconds and no later than 2 minutes after the birth for an adequate sample. There are, however, some anecdotal reports from midwives who have been able to collect a sample successfully after delayed cord clamping.

So if you donate cord blood, your baby may very likely be prevented from receiving the full benefits of delayed cord clamping.

While there are some benefits and reasons for choosing to bank or donate cord blood, expectant parents should be fully informed of the risks as well. Unfortunately, it does not appear proper informed consent is being provided to parents. The AAP states the following in response to the question, “Are there any risks to donating cord blood?”:

Also consider this:

Is the ounce of prevention your baby will receive from claiming his rightful blood and stem cells at the time of birth worth more than a pound of future theoretical stem cell cure?

As with all pregnancy, birth and parenting decisions, I recommend utilizing your guiding principles and deciding in the direction of nature’s wisdom and your baby’s vibrant health and wholeness.

***For more information on this topic, I recommend this post from the Midwife Thinking blog and this article from Dr. Sarah Buckley.

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