What The Maternal Blood Draw Is And When To Do It
What Is The Maternal Blood Draw?
The Maternal Blood Draw is a sample of the mother’s blood that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all cord blood banking companies to obtain. The blood sample is tested for the following infectious diseases and the results of the test are reported to the client, if necessary, and where required under state laws, to the State in which the client lives.
- Hepatitis B Virus
- Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus Types 1 and 2 (AIDS)
- Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Types I/II (HTLV I/II)
- Syphilis
As soon as you enroll for cord blood banking with Americord Registry, we ship you our Cord Blood Collection Kit. It contains all of the equipment your medical practitioner will need to collect stem cells from your baby’s cord blood at birth. It also contains the equipment needed for the Maternal Blood Draw, which must be done right after you are admitted to the hospital to give birth.
When Does The Maternal Blood Draw Have To Be Done?
The Maternal Blood Draw has to be done after you are admitted to the hospital to give birth, but before any intravenous (IV) fluids are administered. Why then? Because IV fluids interact with your blood in a way that makes it impossible to do accurate testing for infectious diseases.
As soon as you get to the hospital, tell the admission or medical staff that you are saving your baby’s cord blood and need a Maternal Blood Draw sample to be included in the Collection Kit.
Americord’s Collection Kit includes instructions for the Maternal Blood Draw as well as instructions for the cord blood collection.
Could The Results Of The Maternal Blood Draw Mean That Stem Cells From My Baby’s Cord Blood Can’t Be Banked?
No. Even if the results of the Maternal Blood Draw indicate the presence of one or more infectious diseases, stem cells from your baby’s cord blood can be stored in our state-of-the-art laboratory, which is CLIA Certified, AABB-Accredited, and complies with all federal and state guidelines. If your blood draw indicates the presence of certain diseases, you should discuss it with your doctor to determine whether you or your baby require any additional testing or treatment.
What Happens If I Forget To Have The Maternal Blood Drawn Done In Time?
If you forget to have the Maternal Blood Draw done before IV fluids are administered, you must have it done several days after you give birth.
You must go ahead and have the Collection Kit with your baby’s cord blood sample picked up by our medical courier as soon as you give birth, and then call Americord and we will send you a new separate Maternal Blood Draw Kit. You will need to schedule an appointment with your doctor to take place several days after you have given birth (this gives the IV fluids time to leave your blood system). Take the Maternal Blood Draw Kit with you to the appointment, have your blood sample taken, and return the kit to Americord in the enclosed pre-paid packaging.
There is no additional charge if Americord needs to send you the Maternal Blood Draw Kit separately, but it is inconvenient for new moms, who will want to rest and spend time with their baby in the days after giving birth.
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