Q: I have been approached, or contacted, by a self-storage program about storing my child's cord blood. Should I store the cord or donate it?
A: Donating your child's cord blood or storing it for private use is a personal decision that only you can make. If you have a child with leukemia or other disease that may be treatable by transplant then the cord blood will be available at any time specifically for your child, only if you stored the blood privately.

Q: Does it hurt me or my baby? Will either of us feel it?
A: Neither you nor your baby will feel anything since this procedure is only done after the cord has been detached.

Q. How many and what tests are done on the blood?
A: Regulations require eight tests to be performed on the mother’s blood and the cord blood. We conduct all eight tests and an additional three tests: one for bacterial contaminants to make sure that the product from the cord blood is sterile, and the other two are to determine the number and viability of stem cells in the cord blood.

Q: Do we get the results of any tests that are done? What type of follow up is there?
A: If there are any abnormal results you will be contacted directly by RNTB-SCRC. You will also be notified if and when the sample is successfully stored.

Q: If there is a history of a disease in the family, such as leukemia, would it be in the genes? If so, would stem cell transplantation from the cord blood be an effective way to treat the disease?
A: Leukemia is not present at the beginning of life, but is developed by mutation or change in normal genes later in life. Stem cells in cord blood represent cells before any changes have occurred in their genes. In case of other types of cancers (eg. solid tumors), stem cells are not involved and can be used for transplantation.

Q: What is the difference between a stem cell transplant and a bone marrow transplant?
A: Until now, the most common way to transfer stem cells from one person to another has been through bone marrow transplantation, which is a complex and risky procedure. Cord blood transplantation eliminates many of the problems associated with bone marrow transplants should your child need such treatment sometime in the future. If your child’s own cord blood stem cells are available, you do not have to look for a suitable match, the painful bone marrow extraction procedure will not be necessary, and the transplant will not be rejected.

Q: How long can these cells be stored and still be usable?
A: Research suggests that these cells can last indefinitely. If you choose to save your baby’s cells, they will be uniquely labeled and will be released only to you or to your child after he or she turns 21 years old.

Q: At some point in the future, if my child or another family member needs these cells, can we claim them?
A: The cells are uniquely labeled; no one can access these cells except you or your child. Unlike donating these cells to a public bank, these cells are stored specifically for your child. If you store your cells in a public bank there is no guarantee that your cells will be available for your use.

Q: Can the baby’s stem cells be used for the second baby and vice versa? Or for a relative or friend ?
A: Stem cells from a baby are a perfect match only for the baby or for an identical twin, though they may be a close match for a second baby (a 1:4 chance). A relative or friend’s cells have to match, or closely match, the baby’s type in order to be useful.

Q: How soon should I notify RNTB-SCRC about collecting my child's umbilical cord blood?
A: It is recommended that someone who is interested in collecting their child’s cord blood should contact RNTB-SCRC by the 32nd week of pregnancy, or as soon as possible. Remember, you need a collection kit in order to collect and ship the sample. If you go into premature labor then there may not be enough time to receive these items prior to delivery.

Q: Are the doctors and nurses at my hospital familiar with the collection process?
A: After you register into the program with RNTB-SCRC, you should discuss this with your physician. RNTB-SCRC will request your healthcare provider and hospital contact information. RNTB-SCRC will then confirm that they understand the collection procedure. Additionally, enclosed within the Collection Kit are specific instructions for successful collection by your healthcare provider.

Q: After the baby has been delivered, and the procedure of collecting the cells has been completed, how do the cells get to the blood center?
A: After collection, you will call our approved courier services, who will arrange for prompt pick up and delivery to the processing center at the earliest, to begin the processing procedure.

Q: Why should we choose RNTB-SCRC?
A: RNTB-SCRC is a hospital-based organization devoted to collecting and storing umbilical cord blood. Our lab is fully staffed and has the expertise to handle such samples. It uses state-of-the-art technology and has an experienced team.