Cord Blood & Tissue Banking: What Every Expectant Parent Should Know – With The Honest Midwife

Pregnancy is full of important decisions. From choosing where to give birth to creating your birth plan, there’s so much to think about as you prepare to welcome your baby. But there’s one option that many expectant parents may not have heard about: the opportunity to preserve their baby’s stem cells at birth.

In partnership with The Honest Midwife, we’re helping expectant parents learn more about cord blood and cord tissue banking, what it involves, and why some families choose to preserve these valuable cells for the future.

As a practising midwife and antenatal educator, The Honest Midwife understands just how important it is for parents to have access to clear, balanced information during pregnancy. She explains why learning about your options early can make all the difference:

Louise Broadbridge – Senior midwife, founder, and face of The Honest Midwife

“As a midwife, I want every parent to feel informed and to know what valuable services are available. Which to avoid and which to consider. Pregnancy comes with so many decisions, and it’s easy for some to get lost or overlooked. The decision to collect your baby’s stem cells can only be made prior to their arrival, because the cells can only be collected at birth. Whether you bank or not is completely your choice. There’s no right or wrong answer. I have teamed up with Smart Cells so you have the facts early, with time to ask questions and decide what’s right for your family.”

Whether you’re hearing about stem cell banking for the first time or have already started exploring your options, this guide will help you understand the potential benefits, the collection process and the key things to consider before making a decision that’s right for you and your family.

What is cord blood and cord tissue banking?

After your baby is born, the umbilical cord and placenta are usually discarded as clinical waste. However, the umbilical cord contains valuable stem cells that can be collected and preserved for potential future medical use.

Cord blood and cord tissue banking involves collecting these cells at birth, processing them and storing them at extremely low temperatures so they may be available if a suitable medical treatment is ever needed.

There are two main sources of stem cells within the umbilical cord, each with different characteristics and potential applications.

Cord Blood Stem Cells

Cord blood contains haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which have the remarkable ability to develop into different types of blood and immune cells. Learn more about cord blood banking.

These stem cells have been used in established medical treatments for more than 35 years. Cord blood stem cell transplantation is used to treat over 80 conditions, including certain types of:

• Leukaemia
• Lymphoma
• Sickle cell disease
• Thalassaemia
• Inherited immune system disorders
• Certain metabolic disorders

Cord blood stem cells are already an established part of transplantation medicine, helping to rebuild healthy blood and immune systems in patients with certain serious conditions.

Cord Tissue Stem Cells

Umbilical cord tissue contains mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which are attracting growing interest in regenerative medicine. Learn more about cord tissue banking.

Researchers are investigating their potential to support tissue repair, regulate inflammation and influence the body’s natural healing processes.

Research is exploring their possible applications in areas such as:

• Neurological conditions
• Autoimmune diseases
• Joint repair and osteoarthritis
• Cardiovascular health

By choosing to privately bank both cord blood and cord tissue, parents can preserve two different sources of cells, each with distinct characteristics and potential medical applications.

Why do parents choose to store their baby’s stem cells?

For many families, the decision to store their baby’s stem cells comes down to one thing: keeping an additional medical option available for the future.

We can’t predict what medical advances may happen in the years ahead, or whether our children will ever need access to stem cell treatments. However, preserving these cells at birth means they may be available should a suitable medical need arise.

Here are five reasons why some parents consider private cord blood and tissue banking.

1. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Your baby’s cord blood and tissue can only be collected at birth. Once the umbilical cord has been discarded, the opportunity to preserve these particular cells is gone.

For parents who wish to bank their baby’s stem cells, it’s a decision that needs to be considered before their arrival.

2. Access to established medical treatments

Cord blood stem cells are already used in transplantation medicine to treat a range of serious blood disorders, certain cancers and immune system conditions.

3. Potential benefits for other family members

A baby’s own stored cord blood cells are genetically matched to them. However, this does not mean they will be suitable for treating every condition.

In some circumstances, stored cord blood may also be suitable for a sibling or another family member, depending on tissue compatibility, the condition being treated and medical requirements.

4. Preserving opportunities for future developments

Stem cell research continues to evolve, with scientists investigating new ways these cells might be used in medicine.

By preserving cord blood and tissue, families may be keeping open the possibility of accessing future treatments, should research lead to safe, effective and approved clinical applications.

5. Peace of mind

For some parents, knowing they’ve taken the opportunity to preserve their baby’s stem cells offers reassurance.

While there are no guarantees that stored cells will ever be needed or suitable for treatment, some families value knowing that this additional option may be available in the future.

A Midwife’s Perspective: Making Informed Choices During Pregnancy

“Pregnancy comes with an overwhelming amount of information.  Some days it can feel as though the list of decisions is endless.  I hear this a lot in my classes, and I always tell parents the same thing.  You don’t need to know everything.  You just need enough information to feel confident that you are making informed decisions.

Cord blood and tissue banking is one of those choices that needs to be understood before labour begins. It helps to know what’s involved, what the potential benefits are and how it fits with your birth preferences.  Some parents like knowing they’ve kept an extra medical option open for the future. Others decide it isn’t for them. Both are completely fine.

If you’re thinking about it, a few questions can help. What do I need to know before I decide? How will collection fit with my birth plan? Who do I need to tell, and when? Jotting your questions down is a good place to start.”

Her advice is a useful reminder that making an informed decision doesn’t mean knowing everything about stem cell science. It simply means understanding your options, asking questions and feeling comfortable with the choice you make.

How is cord blood and tissue collected at birth?

One of the most common questions expectant parents ask is whether collecting their baby’s stem cells will affect their birth experience.

The reassuring news is that cord blood and tissue collection is a straightforward, non-invasive process carried out after your baby has been born.

With Smart Cells, the process is designed to be as simple as possible for expectant parents.

1. Before birth: Make your arrangements

Once you’ve booked with Smart Cells, your stem cell collection kit will be sent to you, ready to take to hospital when you go into labour.

A trained phlebotomist (a healthcare professional who collects blood samples) will also be arranged for your baby’s birth. Our collection service includes 24/7 on-call support, so you can liaise with your phlebotomist when labour begins and they can attend the hospital to carry out the collection.

2. After birth: Collecting your baby’s stem cells

Once your baby has been born and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, cord blood can be collected from the remaining cord and placenta.

A section of the umbilical cord can also be collected for cord tissue processing and storage.

Because collection takes place after the cord has been cut, the procedure itself is painless for both mother and baby.

Cord blood collection may also be possible alongside delayed cord clamping, although the timing of clamping can affect the amount of blood available for collection. Your baby’s wellbeing and your clinical team’s advice always take priority.

3. After collection: Transport and storage

Following collection, your samples are transported to the Smart Cells laboratory in London, where they undergo processing and quality checks before being cryopreserved at extremely low temperatures.

They are then securely stored for potential future medical use.

Will collection affect my birth plan?

It’s natural to have questions about how cord blood collection might fit alongside your birth preferences, particularly when it comes to delayed cord clamping and those precious first moments with your baby.

The Honest Midwife offers reassurance about the process and explains why communicating your wishes to your maternity team is so important:

“One of the first things parents ask me is whether collecting their baby’s stem cells will change their birth. The reassuring answer is that it shouldn’t. Collection happens after your baby has been born and the cord has been clamped and cut, so it doesn’t get in the way of those first moments. Delayed cord clamping can still go ahead as you’ve planned, and skin to skin isn’t affected. If you’d like to bank, it helps to let your midwife team know in advance. That way everyone knows what to expect on the day, and you can relax and focus on meeting your baby.”

Discussing your plans with your midwife before birth can help ensure everyone understands your preferences and how collection may fit into your individual birth experience.
As with any aspect of birth planning, circumstances can change, and the health and wellbeing of you and your baby will always come first.

A Midwife’s Perspective: Why It’s Worth Thinking About Before Your Due Date

As your due date approaches, your attention naturally turns to preparing for labour, packing your hospital bag and getting ready to meet your baby.

With so much happening, it’s easy for decisions that aren’t part of routine maternity care to slip down the list.

Because cord blood and tissue collection can only take place at birth, researching your options during pregnancy gives you time to understand the process, explore the costs and make any necessary arrangements.

The Honest Midwife encourages parents to consider their options early, even if they ultimately decide that private banking isn’t right for them:

“When your due date is getting close, your head is full of other things.  You’re thinking about meeting your baby, packing your hospital bag and getting ready for labour.  That’s completely understandable.

That’s why I always encourage parents to look into their options early.  If cord blood and tissue banking is something you’re curious about, finding out during pregnancy gives you time to think.  You can ask questions, understand the costs, talk to your maternity team and make arrangements without feeling rushed.  You can also check who you’ll need to call when labour starts, so that’s one less thing to think about on the day.

It’s also worth knowing that the NHS doesn’t routinely offer private storage.  This is a personal choice, and it does cost money.  There’s no pressure either way.

Even if you decide not to bank your baby’s stem cells, you’ll know you’ve looked at the option and made an informed choice.  That’s what matters to me. I want you to feel calm and confident about your decisions, whatever you decide.”

Whether you decide to bank your baby’s stem cells or not, taking the time to explore your options means you can approach your baby’s birth feeling informed and prepared.

Making the Decision That’s Right for Your Family

The most important thing is having the information you need to make the decision that’s right for you and your baby.

Cord blood and tissue banking is one of the options worth exploring during pregnancy, particularly because collection is only possible at birth.

For some families, preserving these cells offers reassurance that they’ve kept an additional medical option available for the future. For others, the costs, uncertainties and likelihood of future use may mean private banking isn’t the right choice.

Both are valid decisions.

Through our partnership with The Honest Midwife, we hope to make information about cord blood and tissue banking more accessible, understandable and reassuring for expectant parents, helping you explore your options with confidence.

Want to Learn More About Your Options?

If you’re considering preserving your baby’s cord blood and tissue, we’re here to help you find out more.

Our free stem cell banking guide explains how the process works, the potential benefits of preserving cord blood and tissue, and what to consider before making your decision.

Whether you’re just starting your research or are ready to explore your options in more detail, it’s a useful place to begin.