Surprise cord-blood find is ‘godsend’ for ailing boy

After half a year of blood transfusions to treat life-threatening anemia, 9-year-old Ricky Martinez was running out of time. The Murrieta boy needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life. Although his parents had held numerous drives seeking a match for their son, the perfect donor eluded them. Then another option appeared —- doctors …

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Scientist Who Lost Daughter Champions Cord Blood

    Saving umbilical cord blood from childbirth is a growing practice, and those in the field credit a former NASA astronomer with raising national awareness about cord blood’s potential for providing life-saving stem cells. “There’s been a huge upswing in interest in cord blood banking,” said Danielle Winner Koontz, a childbirth educator and doula—or …

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Post-partum depression affects everyone…

Post-partum depression is more common than was previously thought.  With early intervention, PPD can be treated. Signs of PPD include weepiness, anxiety, panic attacks, detachment and withdrawal from family and friends. Babies exposed to PPD may suffer from emotional neglect. There has been evidence that this neglect can actually affect brain development. Sleep deprivation and isolation contribute …

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Cord Blood Banking Saves Missouri Girl’s Life

  A Pineville, Missouri mother is spreading the word about cord blood banking and how it saved the life of her child. Tonya Morris is spending quality time with her daughters Sunshine and 5-year-old Sparrow. These special moments are especially important for Sparrow. In 2008, at 1 year old she was found face down in …

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Preeclampsia, Premature Birth, and Cord Blood Banking

This article originally appeared in the newsletter of the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, http://parentsguidecordblood.org/newsletter_archive/newsletters_2012-03.php#preeclampsia       Preeclampsia is a life-threatening medical condition that complicates about 5% of the pregnancies in the United States. Onset of this disease commonly occurs after 32 weeks gestation but can occur late in the second trimester, and …

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Scientists Successfully Expand Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells in Culture

    What exactly do all those medical words mean??? Simply put, stem cells can be  multiplied in a culture  providing millions and even billions of new cells which might be used in the treatment of anemia, immune deficiencies and other diseases, including some cancers.  Since stem cells from bone marrow limit the matching capabilities of the cells, umbilical cord blood …

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What is the Likelihood We Will Need the Baby’s Cord Blood?

    Cord blood stem cells are instrumental in the treatment of many diseases, and the list is continually growing. Therefore, the answer to the above question is complicated. Stem cells are harvested from cord blood, which are then used to treat disease. You can read more about this topic here. Entry Filed under: babies,brain development,Cord …

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Migraines During Pregnancy

      Some women who have a history of migraines have them more often when they’re pregnant; others (luckily) experience fewer of them. Many women also have migraines for the first time during pregnancy. Because some research shows that women who suffer from pregnancy migraines may also be at increased risk for hypertension, preeclampsia, and …

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