Cord Blood Donation Program

Skagit Regional Health's Family Birth Center has partnered with the Bloodworks Northwest Cord Blood Program to invite families to donate umbilical cord blood to the public bank for patients in need locally and across the globe.  

What is cord blood donation?

Cord blood donation is a process where blood is collected from the umbilical cord after your baby is born and the cord has been clamped off.

  • Cord blood donation is completely voluntary
  • It is a painless procedure that does not interfere with the birth or with parent-and-child bonding following the delivery
  • Cord blood donation is free of charge to the donating family
  • The donation is confidential, no personal donor information is shared outside of the program

Why is cord blood donation important?

Umbilical cord blood contains many stem cells, which our bodies use as the building blocks to create other necessary blood cells. Like bone marrow, when cord blood cells are transplanted, they can give critically ill patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases a chance for a cure.

baby in basinet at Family Birth Center

Who is eligible to donate?

To become a cord blood donor, expectant parents must:

  • Be expecting one baby (not twins or multiples)
  • Be 18 years or older
  • Anticipate a full-term pregnancy at time of delivery (37 weeks of gestation)
  • Have no history of any blood disorders or cancer. The baby’s other immediate family (non-birth parent and siblings) must meet this requirement as well

About Bloodworks Northwest

The Bloodworks Northwest Cord Blood Program is the first and only public cord blood bank in the Pacific Northwest and has proudly banked over 14,000 cord blood donations that are available for transplant and sent out 1,200 units matched cord blood units to patients in need.

To learn more, contact the Cord Blood Program here.