Viacord

It wasn’t too long ago that we answered some of your questions about cord blood banking. Now that ViaCord has introduced our new Complete Newborn Stem Cell Package™, which allows families to bank cord blood and cord tissue, the questions are coming in again and we wanted to do our best to answer them for you:

1.    How is the umbilical cord tissue collected and does it hurt?
As with cord blood, the collection process is easy and painless. First, your baby’s umbilical cord is clamped and cut, and the cord blood is collected. Your health care professional will then collect as much of the umbilical cord tissue as possible and place it into the sterile, protective cup provided in your ViaCord collection kit.

2.    Is the new collection kit bulky and hard to transport?
Nope! All our kits are designed to keep your baby’s cord blood and cord tissue safe, while also being easy to transport. Many moms pack it in their hospital overnight bag so it’s ready to go when they are!

During pregnancy the umbilical cord is the ultimate lifeline between mother and infant—delivering all the nutrients, oxygen and blood the baby needs to thrive and grow. Today we know the umbilical cord provides so much more because of the potentially life-saving stem cells contained within. Cord blood stems cells have been proven to help treat nearly 80 life-threatening diseases; providing another sort of ‘lifeline’ long after the cord is clamped and cut.

The matter of when the umbilical cord should be clamped is one that expectant parents may consider. Some medical professionals clamp and cut the umbilical cord soon after the baby is delivered and others might wait several minutes before separating the child from the cord. Both parents and medical professionals interested in saving the cord blood stem cells often contact us to ask whether either decision could affect the ability to collect the cord blood.

When exploring the option of cord blood banking, it’s natural to have questions. Often people don’t hear about cord blood banking until they’re expecting a baby, and it’s important to be well informed before making a decision that’s right for your family. That’s why at ViaCord we want you to know that every question is a good question. The more answers you have, the better informed you’ll be. Here are just a few we often hear from expectant parents. We hope you’ll find them helpful!

1.    Will my doctor know how to collect cord blood?
Cord blood collection is a common procedure that most doctors are familiar with. To ensure the collection process goes as smoothly as possible for both you and the delivering doctor, ViaCord provides step-by-step instructions within the cord blood collection kit. In addition, prior to delivery, we’ll notify the doctor in a letter letting him/her know that you’ve chosen to

Group B Strep (sometimes called GBS) is a type of bacteria that is often found in healthy women. According to the CDC, about 1 in 4 women in the United States carry this type of bacteria.¹

Although the words “bacteria” and “strep” can conjure up some negative associations with troublesome infections, being a carrier for this particular group of bacteria does not mean you have an infection or are sick at all.

The GBS bacteria are simply part of the natural flora that keep your immune system in balance and do not typically pose any harm to you or those around you.