>>11698817Preterm babies have been shown to suffer fewer intraventricular hemorrhages when they have delayed cord clamping compared with immediate cord clamping. This begs the question whether these preterm babies are acting like canaries in the coal mines, with their more fragile bodies showing the damage that occurs to a delicate developing brain when subjected to immediate cord clamping. It is possible that in a more robust full-term infant neurological damage may go unnoticed, despite still occurring.
Many parents today are choosing to bank their baby’s cord blood, either privately or altruistically, for organizations such as the Anthony Nolan Trust. Private cord banking facilities attract clients based on the promise of the potential future benefits to their baby or family from the stem cells contained within the cord blood. Marketing phrases include “your baby’s cord blood may hold the key to their long-term health”,22 “a simple and safe procedure”,22 and “stem cells must be collected shortly after birth, and carefully stored, or they’re lost forever”.23 These cord blood stem cells have properties that have been shown in the laboratory to help the body repair itself.24 Currently, trials are underway looking at the potential benefits of cord blood stem cells in the treatment of many different conditions, including cerebral palsy,25,26 autism,27 pediatric stroke,28 traumatic brain injury,29 and type 1 diabetes.30
