What is cord blood? Cord blood is the blood left over in the umbilical cord and placenta once a baby is born. Cord blood is normally thrown out after birth.
Why is cord blood important? This blood is found to be rich source of stem cells and is currently being used as an alternative to bone marrow in treating a number of life threatening diseases.
How much does it cost? It is free to donate your cord blood to the Texas Cord Blood Bank (TCBB).
How can I donate? If you are delivering at one of our participating hospitals, all you need to do is notify your nurse of your wish to donate when you are admitted. All of our kits and paperwork are kept on site for your convenience; no advance preparation is necessary. For your convenience, some of these forms are also available on-line.
What if my hospital is not listed? If you are not delivering at one of our contracted collection hospitals listed here, you may be eligible to participate in our Non Fixed Site program. We accept these donations from San Antonio and surrounding areas. No out of town collections are being offered at this time. We have limited space each month so donors must contact us to schedule a NFS donation. Please do so by your 34th week or prior. Email us at provide your name, phone , due date, home address, hospital delivery will take place, (single birth deliveries only). Please, visit www.bethematch.org for out of town donation information.
Current Contracted Collection Hospitals
Christus Santa Rosa-New Braunfels
Medical City Dallas
Methodist Hospital-San Antonio
Midland Memorial Hospital
Mission Trail Baptist-San Antonio
North Central Baptist-San Antonio
Providence Health Care-Waco
St. David's - Austin
St. Luke’s Episcopal/Texas Children’s Hospital-Houston
Texas Health Presbyterian-Allen
University Hospital-San Antonio
Valley Baptist-Brownsville
Valley Baptist-Harlingen
Women’s Hospital at Renaissance-Edinburg
How do I know if I am eligible to donate? Most healthy moms are able to donate their cord blood! Common reasons that someone cannot donate are listed on our downloadable. You may also contact us at 800-292-5534 ext 1865 or by email at cordblood@bloodntissue.org for more information.
What happens to my cord blood after I donate? The cord blood is transported to TCBB for further testing and processing before it is stored in frozen liquid nitrogen. Units not meeting banking criteria may be considered for use in quality controls or research.
Who has access to my cord blood? Every unit that meets banking criteria will be listed on the national registry and accessible worldwide for patients in need.