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Making the decision to donate your baby’s cord blood is an important one.

Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank is a national program that recruits healthy, volunteer mothers delivering at one of four designated collection hospitals across the country. Donated cord blood units are collected at no charge and could make a life-changing impact on a patient in need.

Eligible blood stem cells from the umbilical cord and placenta are tested and stored at Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank, and eligible units are available for any patient in Canada or worldwide in need of an unrelated stem cell transplant.

At any given time, there are hundreds of Canadian patients searching for a stem cell donor. If they are unable to find a match within their family, patients rely on unrelated volunteer donors. Stem cells can be derived from bone marrow, blood, or cord blood and can help in the treatment and cure of a wide variety of conditions.

By donating your baby’s cord blood, you could be helping a patient like Nadia.

Learn more about Cord Blood.

Where to donate

Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank collects in four (4) cities: Ottawa (at The Ottawa Hospital General campus), Brampton (Greater Toronto Area), Edmonton and Vancouver.

How to donate

Mothers have two options for registration:

1. Register online, or
2. Download and print the registration forms for Ottawa. Give your completed consent form to your health-care provider during one of your prenatal visits, or bring it with you on your delivery day and tell your nurse your intent to donate.

Remember

• Add public cord blood donation to your birth plan
• When you’re admitted to the hospital, tell your nurse that you intend to donate your umbilical cord blood to the public cord blood bank.

Cord blood is collected ex utero, meaning designated Canadian Blood Services personnel collect your cord blood after your baby and placenta have been delivered.

If your baby’s cord blood unit qualifies, a nurse will visit you to collect additional information before you leave the hospital which includes a second consent, blood work, and a questionnaire.

Translation services

Free interpreter and translation services are offered in Punjabi and Chinese. These services are provided by board-certified interpreters and translators who meet the highest industry standards.

Contact cordblood@blood.ca to request this service. To ensure all required forms are complete and received before your delivery, six to eight weeks’ notice is required.

Last updated on: February 11th, 2021