I have always had an interest in medicine and the human body right from being a teenager I was a closet geek collecting the human body magazine and reading them in bed at night time - I have never quite got rid of that feeling of wanting to learn more and there is always so much to learn about the human body which is why I trained to be an adult nurse.
In different courses and whilst training to be a nurse I have touched upon stem cells and it is an absolutely fascinating topic - stem cells have the ability to potentially change into different cells that make up the human body which means the possibility of treating so many life-limiting and life-changing medical conditions.
I worked in Oncology and haematology for a short time and stem cells were used to treat Leukaemia and Lymphoma which are both cancers of the blood I have also seen them being used when the bone marrow fails but Stem cells usage doesn't stop there stem cells are also being used to treat Sickle cell anaemia, spinal problems and cerebral palsy there is also ongoing research all the time to delve into other conditions that stem cells might be able to treat.
When I gave birth to each one of my children I knew there were options to have blood collected from the cord, however, nothing was specifically explained to myself at the time and it wasn't something that I really considered and it probably really should have been thinking about the research and possibilities now.
When you give birth to your child the cord and blood would usually be thrown away, really there is no harm in letting the cord blood be collected, The umbilical cord has two types of stem cells which can be collected. mesechymal stem cells which are found in the cord tissue which form bone cartilage and muscle cells and haemopoietic stem cells which go on to make up blood-related cells.
The video below gives by Smart cells gives an interesting useful and educational insight into how stem cells are collected and how amazing useful they can be for treating different conditions
If you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant it is something worth taking into consideration. When you have your appointment with your midwife or hospital appointment, ask the question even if your not completely sure about it, find out if blood banking is an option for yourself and your baby, it's then so easy to order a storage kit online ready for the delivery team to collect and store those all important cord cells. Which is a much easier method of collection than collecting them through bone marrows which is how they have previously been collecting them.
If you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant it is something worth taking into consideration. When you have your appointment with your midwife or hospital appointment, ask the question even if your not completely sure about it, find out if blood banking is an option for yourself and your baby, it's then so easy to order a storage kit online ready for the delivery team to collect and store those all important cord cells. Which is a much easier method of collection than collecting them through bone marrows which is how they have previously been collecting them.
It would be so great to see more women joining in with cord collection as its an amazing way of helping with research and future discoveries in medicine its well worth taking this into consideration or just asking the questions when going for your next antenatal appointment.
Have you thought about stem cell storage or have you taken part in the collection process? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Have you thought about stem cell storage or have you taken part in the collection process? I would love to hear your thoughts.
*I was provided with this video by Smart Cells and Netmums
