GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — July is National Cord Blood Donation Awareness month and parents can be overwhelmed with the amount of information provided while pregnant.
Dr. Marcos Cordoba, Maternal-Fetal Medicine with Spectrum Health, helps break down the basics of cord blood donation.
Donating cord blood is similar to donating blood. Donors must fill out a questionnaire ahead of time, then paperwork will be sent to the mother before the birth. The actual donation kit will be available at the hospital.
During the donation process, they clamp the umbilical vein, and wait one minute to draw blood. There is NO blood taken from the baby and it can be done during a c-section or vaginal delivery.
It's important to donate cord blood because it's considered "super" blood and can be used to help people with multiple diagnoses.
Spectrum partners with Versiti Blood Center of Michigan to store the cord blood cells. Butterworth Hospital is currently the only hospital in the Grand Rapids area that participates in public cord blood donations.
To learn more about National Cord Blood Donation Awareness month, visit https://www.spectrumhealth.org/
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
If you would like more information about advertising with 13 ON YOUR SIDE, please contact Jeff Olsen at jolsen@wzzm13.com.