Cord Blood Banking Information in Sharjah

What is cord blood banking?

After your baby is born and the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, some blood remains in the cord and placenta. This cord blood is rich in blood-forming stem cells, the cells that build new bone marrow. Collected soon after birth, it can be frozen and stored by a specialist cord blood bank.

Stored cord blood is used today mainly in stem cell transplants for serious blood and immune conditions, such as some leukaemias, severe inherited anaemias and certain immune deficiencies. Collection is painless for both mother and baby, because it happens from the cord and placenta once they are already separated from your baby.

At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, the obstetric team gives balanced information during pregnancy and, where you decide to bank, works with the licensed bank you have chosen so the collection can be accommodated at delivery. Processing, testing and long-term storage are carried out by that bank. More about pregnancy and birth care is on the Maternity page.

Who needs it

Cord blood banking is a personal choice, and the most useful starting point is knowing the two kinds of bank.

Public banking means donating your baby's cord blood free of charge to a public bank. The unit is tested, listed on a registry and made available to any matched patient who needs a transplant. Public donation helps families from under-represented backgrounds, because a wider mix of donors improves the chance of a match.

Private or family banking means paying a company to store the cord blood for your own family's possible use. Professional guidance generally views routine private banking "just in case" as offering limited proven benefit for most families. A child's own cord blood is rarely the first choice for treating that same child, because a genetic condition is already present in those cells, and doctors usually prefer donor cells for many leukaemias.

The picture changes when a brother or sister already has a condition treatable by stem cell transplant. Here, collecting the new baby's cord blood for that sibling, sometimes called directed donation, has a clear medical purpose, and the obstetrician will discuss it with the treating specialist.

Delayed cord clamping is a separate practice. Waiting a short while before clamping lets more blood pass from the placenta to your baby, which helps build iron stores. Because the same blood is involved, a longer wait can leave a smaller volume for collection, so the team talks through this balance with you.

What happens

At an antenatal visit, your obstetrician explains public donation, private banking, directed donation and delayed clamping, and answers questions about your family history. If you choose to bank, you register with the licensed bank of your choice well before your due date and receive its collection kit and instructions.

Bring the kit with you when you come in for the birth, and tell the midwife on arrival. After your baby is born and the cord is clamped, trained staff draw the blood from the cord into the bank's collection bag, following the bank's instructions. The bank then arranges collection of the sample and its transport to the laboratory. Your baby's care and yours always come first, and the collection takes place only once you are both safe.

Preparing for it

• Decide early, ideally in the second trimester, so there is time to research banks and register
• Check that the bank is licensed by the relevant UAE health authority, and ask where the samples are stored and how they travel
• Ask the bank what happens if the collected volume is small
• Add your decision to your birth plan, reviewed in a birth plan consultation
• Keep the kit in your hospital bag

Families with relatives abroad sometimes choose a bank that stores samples overseas. Ask about shipping arrangements, customs paperwork and how the unit would be retrieved if needed.

Afterwards

The bank tests the sample and confirms by letter or message whether it has been stored. For private banking, you receive a storage agreement and annual fee details; for public donation, the unit joins the registry. Recovery after birth follows the usual path described for normal delivery, because banking adds nothing to the mother's or baby's care.

If you or your baby feel unwell after going home, such as heavy bleeding, fever, or a baby who is feeding poorly or unusually sleepy, contact the hospital straight away. In an emergency, call emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department.

Cost and insurance

Public donation is free to the family. Private banking is a direct contract between you and the bank, with a collection and processing fee and yearly storage charges, and is usually outside insurance cover. Your antenatal consultation and delivery at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah follow your maternity insurance benefits, which often need pre-approval. Call 06 599 7777 to check your cover.