Melanie Raposo: Hai welcome to the pregnancy show everybody. I am Melanie Raposo. Do you realize that you have the ability to protect the future wellness of your child and your family for generations to come? Three simple words, cord blood banking. And what exactly is cord blood banking. Well, we went straight to the source right here at the Create Cord blood bank in Toronto and spoke to Dr. Librach, who discusses with us why cord blood banking is so important.

Clifford L. Librach: Well, cord blood is the blood that has contained within the umbilical cord when the baby is attached to the mother and it connects the placenta which gives the baby all the nutrients that it needs throughout the pregnancy to the baby through its umbilical area or belly button area and basically that blood is the baby's blood. Okay, so normally, what happens at the time of birth, we cut the cord when the baby is born and the after birth, which is that placenta and the cord comes out and we just throw it in the garbage. Okay. Now, well we now know is there are something very special in that tissue. First of all, in the blood, there are very special cells that are called stem cells and those cells actually make all of the tissues of the baby through the pregnancy and we can take those cells out and store them for that baby and possibly for even a family member as well depending on how close they match and we can actually use that potentially to treat many diseases.

Female Speaker: According to Dr. Librach, over 95% of people just throw away the umbilical cord without knowing the true potential of the cord blood currently has to treat over 70 diseases.

Clifford L. Librach: Very common diseases like heart disease and stroke and diabetes and all kinds of diseases like that.

Female Speaker: Through a new technology offered exclusively through the Create cord blood bank, more diseases and serious conditions and ever before can now be treated with a special type of cells found in the tissues of the umbilical cord called
Peristome.

Clifford L. Librach: You can imagine that those cells could be used for things like where there is bone problems and fractures or new cartilage like arthritis, muscle like heart muscle, so all kinds of potential are there. And not only that, but they could help the cord blood cells to replace things like the bone marrow because the bone marrow has cells in it but also has all these fibrous tissue in it and it's important and if you put them altogether, it has been showing that that actually makes the transplantation even better.

Female Speaker: And with cord blood cells, doctors are now able to perform transplants on people who are closely matched. So, family and relatives can also benefit from the cord blood and with creates advanced storing technology called the Bioarchive system, your baby's cord blood can be stored for ever.

Clifford L. Librach: We hope you know a child will need it, at least they are not going to get these diseases but now we are talking about diseases that all of us are going to get later in their life. You know, the potential is tremendous and we think of it like an insurance but you know, I wish I had those cells from when I was born, because all of us are going to get something and this is readily can save a child's life or enhance somebody's health in the future.

Female Speaker: The cost of storing your child's cord blood can range anywhere from $800 to $1000, but when choosing a cord blood bank, Dr. Librack says the most important thing that we are looking for is the type of storing system the bank is using.

Clifford L. Librach: Well, I think they want to be looking at the way that those cells are stored, the technology that the bank was using, because ultimately, this is a technology thing, it is how well are those cells going to be stored and how safe are they within that type of system and that's why I think this Bioarchive system is the best. I researched all the different banks myself around the world and I found that this was the best technology of all. I think it is something that people need to think about carefully about whether; they want to do this for their child, because the only opportunity that you have to do this is the time when that baby is born. Because once the baby is born, and that tissue and cells are thrown in the garbage. Okay, if you decide not to store it, that's it. You never have another chance in the child's life to do this. The other thing I want to say about this is there no controversy. Okay, we always think about stems cells has been controversial. Okay, well that's when you are taking a embryo, that is a co potential human life and somebody is using that to produce stem cells. This is just a waste material. This is the blood from the baby that was born and it is cord and that is why is thrown in the garbage; no body has any sort of problem with using that to help people and enhance people's lives.

Female Speaker: If you would like more information on how you can store your child's cord blood and information on the create cord blood bank, visit our website at thepregnancyshow.com