As parents part of the lifestyle is to help teach your kids how to think, how to be prepared in case something goes wrong. They say knowledge is power and that is a life lesson that should be imparted onto children, but it should also be embraced by the parents too. Often times when thinking about how to protect children we think of life threatening situations from the outside without considering the dangers that come from inside the body.
No parent ever wants to think their child may become sick from a disease as dangerous as leukemia, lymphoma, heart disease, or MS but medical experts are encouraging parents to do their research before the baby’s birth. By research doctors often mean becoming informed about the power of stem cells.
At the moment of your baby’s birth there exists a unique type of blood within the umbilical cord called cord blood. Cord blood contains within it a powerful series of stem cells that have the ability to develop into disease fighting immune cells over time. Doctors encourage parents to be to do some research before the birth to learn the benefits of preserving cord blood, news about cord blood treating new illnesses, and stories from other families who have needed a cord blood transplant.
Cord blood has a distinct advantage that doctors encourage more parents to learn about; it cuts out having to look for a suitable donor as a bone marrow transplant would. Because of genetics, your baby will be perfectly suited to receive his or her own cord blood at any point throughout their lives should the need occur. Other family members are likely to also benefit from cord blood preservation because of their blood relation to your baby.
The world can sometimes be a frightening place and it’s best to keep children prepared to stay alert in troubling times. But that advice should apply to parents all the same. There are things we can do to protect children from the outside, and by making a choice we can choose to protect children from what lies inside. Knowledge is power as it makes us informed, informed enough to understand the power of a choice.
Leave a Reply