Most hospitals routinely collect cord blood at birth, since it is relatively convenient and birth is the only time it is possible to do. Some parents choose to have cord blood banked, because it can be used later if the child has a condition that would require a bone marrow transplant. Cord blood can be used to re-constitute the immune system in place of a transplant and doesn't require a search for a compatible donor.

If your child has a normal and uneventful birth, your health care provider may choose to run selected tests on the sample and not bank the sample.