Has anyone used their babies cord blood for treatment for their baby?

[Karls]

We are expecting our first baby and are looking into storage of cord blood.
I would like to know if anyone has had to use the cord blood for treatment of their baby before, and was it of benefit? We have read conflicting stories about it's real benefits for your own child. Store or donate?

[breakthemould]

Sorry if this is not helpful but have you looked into Delayed Cord Clamping instead? That way the baby gets the cord blood at birth instead of storing it for a possible future illness? It made much more sense to me when I looked into the options disregard my post if it's inappropriate.

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[bada]

A few family members suggested we look into it for this baby since my nephew had leukaemia (and some other related issues in the family) and if our child was to get it the stored cord blood could be useful. But upon further research there seemed to be me more possible benefits and protective qualities to do delayed cord clamping as a pp said. We did delayed cord clamping with our first child before this was an issue btw. If we were to store cord blood we would definitely do it privately for our own use. Interested to hear others thoughts on this.

[zombiekitty]

You can delay clamping AND store.
I stored both my kids cord blood.

[bada]

You can delay clamping AND store.
I stored both my kids cord blood.

Everything I've read contradicts this, saying if you delay cord clamping until the cord stops pulsing there is no cord blood left. Did you delay and collect?

[4underfour]

From what I have read, nobody has been successfully treated using stored cord blood. It is merely a possibility in the future and still experimental.
My ob told me not to waste my money.

[zombiekitty]

Everything I've read contradicts this, saying if you delay cord clamping until the cord stops pulsing there is no cord blood left. Did you delay and collect?

Yes.
To store cord blood you don't need a great deal of volume.

[Karls]

Thank you, it is helpful. We are looking into that as well, we are just trying to understand and get our head around everything that is available. There is just so much conflicting information out there, we are just trying to gather as much of its we can so we can make an informed decision. X

[AM]

As far as I know, stored blood can be useful for a close family member who is sick, and has a compatible type, but say if your child got cancer or something themselves, the stem cells contain the same dna and can already have the disease. I could be totally wrong, but I'm sure I read something like that...

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-...d-controversy/

[momtobe21]

Hi, We were looking at storing cord blood. This was given to us by a dear friend in Medical Research (sorry it's SO LONG but some useful info). We are now thinking of delayed cord clamping.
Excerpt from a medical law review:

B. Practical Risks

The RCOG cite the timing of cord clamping as one of the major risk factors involved in UCB collection.⁹⁸ There are two methods used in cord clamping: early or delayed.⁹⁹ Whilst there has been little consensus¹⁰⁰ as to which method should be routinely adopted in general midwifery care, for the purposes of UCB collection, early clamping is necessary to ensure maximisation of the resource.¹⁰¹ However, either method can be used to collect UCB and neither method is without risk.
First, delayed clamping has been associated with the risk of the baby developing hyperbilirubianeamia,¹⁰² which causes jaundice, and has been linked¹⁰³to the precipitation of other birth-related conditions such as hypothermia¹⁰⁴ and polycythaemia.¹⁰⁵ Polycythaemia is of particular concern as it can cause the baby to suffer seizures, which can result in brain injury.¹⁰⁶ However, as Mercer acknowledges in her review of the current best evidence with regard to cord clamping: The idea that delayed cord clamping is harmful is not supported by the findings from the 16 randomised controlled trials and 5 ‘controlled trials’ completed over the past two decades involving term and preterm infants and reviewed here.¹⁰⁷ In contrast, early clamping has been linked to the various risk factors associated with placental transfusion, a term given to the transfer of foetal blood from the placenta to the baby at birth. Placental transfusion is an important phase of the birthing process as it provides the baby with up to 30% more blood volume and up to 60% more red blood cells.¹⁰⁸ Early clamping of the cord can prevent the full transfer of blood and any loss of blood volume may have detrimental effects on the newborn infant, such as lower haemoglobin levels, less iron stores, and a reduction in red blood cells—all of which present a greater chance of anaemia in later infancy.¹⁰⁹ The risk of hypovolaemia, a blood disorder caused by an excess of fluid in the blood, has also been linked to early clamping.¹¹⁰
In addition to these findings, the results of a study carried out in animals, reported in 2001, showed that blood loss at birth could result in harm.¹¹¹ In the study, 25% of the total blood volume in newborn rats was removed and compared with those rats whose birth had not been subject to any intervention. At only 3-h-old, the presence of proinflammatory cytokines, indicating tissue damage, was detected in the lungs and liver of the rats whose blood had been removed, whereas none was detected in those that had not. The researchers concluded that the removal of 25% of the rat pups blood had damaged their vital organs, causing the production of cytokines.
These results are of particular relevance to those who deploy early cord clamping to procure UCB because it may interfere with placental transfusion, which, as Mercer suggests, may deny the human infant of up to 30% of its total blood volume.¹¹² Given the effects of blood removal in the animal model, any reduction of blood volume can present as a risk to the health of the baby. Of immediate clamping, Mercer reports: In our well-intended haste to transfer an infant to the paediatric staff, we may be denying the infant a significant part of his vital blood supply while placing him or her at risk of hypovolemia and resulting damage.¹¹³ The findings of a study published in 1998 also need to be considered. These data showed that high quantities of proinflammatory cytokines were present in early blood samples taken from newborn infants who later developed the motor neurone condition, cerebral palsy.¹¹⁴ Their presence suggests that early clamping for the purpose of UCB collection may have far reaching consequences for the health of the baby.
The risk of IVH¹¹⁵ in preterm infants has also been a reported complication of early cord clamping. IVH is a serious condition as it can ultimately lead to brain damage. This observation was borne from the results of a study carried out in South Africa in 1988 to determine the effects of early versus delayed cord clamping on preterm deliveries.¹¹⁶ Of the thirty-eight women who participated in the study, it was found that 78% of those infants whose cords were clamped early, experienced IVH, compared with 35% of those who were delayed for up to 1 min. The principal investigators in this research suggest that IVH occurs due to the sudden increase in pressure to the arteries caused by immediate clamping, which cuts off the blood supply prematurely.¹¹⁷ The study, however, has attracted several criticisms.¹¹⁸
Although critics of early cord clamping have used this study to justify their concerns,¹¹⁹ its relevance for the purpose of UCB collection has been doubted. Bertolini observes that those who took part in the study were not candidates for UCB collection and that the study only relates to the timing of cord clamping generally.¹²⁰ As Bertolini fails to elaborate on the relevance of this observation, it can only be assumed that he was suggesting that there is no clear evidence to validate the connection between cord clamping and the adverse effects of UCB collection and that a study dedicated to this area would generate more precise results. In other words, the dearth of valid data simply adds to the uncertainties of the real risks involved and only the presence of scientific statistical information could conclusively link the timing of cord clamping with the perceived risks that the procurement of UCB may generate.
In spite of these challenged opinions, more recent studies¹²¹ and reviews of current available literature¹²² and news reports¹²³ support the view that delayed cord clamping is clinically preferable for both full and preterm infants. Although early cord clamping has been shown to maximise cord blood volume¹²⁴ and is thus beneficial for UCB collection, it presents a greater risk for the child.¹²⁵ As David Hutcheon, a consultant obstetrician, states: Cord blood collection must not be allowed to restrict the [delayed cord clamping] practice. The value of delayed cord clamping has been shown whereas the value of commercial cord blood banking is still hypothetical at present.¹²⁶ Hutcheon appears to suggest that since the benefits of storing UCB for future personal use remain speculative, they are outweighed by the risks that early cord clamping for the purposes of UCB collection may invoke.
What present as additional problems, however, are the practical risks associated with collecting the UCB either in-utero¹²⁷ or ex-utero.¹²⁸ The risk of bacterial contamination can occur at various stages of the collection procedure¹²⁹ from either failing to sterilise equipment and/or collection areas adequately, maternal blood coming into contact with placenta blood at the time of delivery, or contamination to the UCB unit from needlestick injury.¹³⁰However, the ex-utero method has been cited as demonstrating a higher incidence of bacterial contamination than when the procedure is conducted in-utero.¹³¹ This may be due to the transfer of the placental system to the collection area after delivery and the necessary use of additional apparatus and equipment. That said, there might be practical reasons why the ex-utero method is preferred by those who collect UCB, such as the collector being able to devote all their attention to the baby and mother in the third stage of labour when both mother and baby require one-to-one care.¹³² Furthermore, in-utero collections can be both invasive and distressing for the pregnant woman,¹³³ while the logistics of the ex-utero method ensures that the number of people within the delivery room is kept to a minimum, thus creating a calm atmosphere for everyone involved in the birth process.
Those who facilitate the procurement of UCB should be familiar not only with the collection procedures but also of the safe use of needles during blood retrieval, manual handling of the placental system and collection apparatus, and possess basic knowledge of sterilisation and hygiene procedures and health and safety protocols within a clinical setting. This ensures that the risk of procuring a contaminated unit and the risk of personal injury to the pregnant woman and child are kept to a minimum. As a specialist task, UCB collection should therefore only be carried out by those deemed qualified to undertake such a role. As previously discussed, due to the complexities of the collection process, the European Tissue and Cells Directive¹³⁴ now prohibits performing UCB collection by unqualified personnel.
As the RCOG suggests,¹³⁵ there are also risks associated with the third stage of labour. They fear that collecting UCB during this stage may distract the midwife from essential routine checks, and maternal or neonatal observations may be delayed or overlooked. For the baby, such procedures would include immediate checks to ensure a clear airway, normal body temperature, and checks for any physical abnormalities.¹³⁶ For the pregnant woman, the routine monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, temperature, uterine fundal height,¹³⁷ and general well-being of the mother¹³⁸ would normally be a priority. Furthermore, this is a particularly vulnerable phase of the labour process when the risk of post-partum haemorrhage¹³⁹ is at its greatest¹⁴⁰ and severe pre-eclampsia¹⁴¹ is of concern. In addition, the placenta and umbilical cord should be checked as soon as practicable to ensure that it is complete¹⁴² and there are no abnormalities.¹⁴³
UCB collection increases the workload of hospital staff during this critical time, and, without adequate resources, such an additional burden could jeopardise the patient's primary care, putting both mother and baby at risk.