Famous figures like Chrissy Teigen are preserving their baby’s newborn stem cells as potential protection for their family’s future health.
Chrissy Teigen1 is an open book with her personal life. She’s shared her fertility challenges and IVF journey, she’s self-published a very raw essay about pregnancy loss, she’s given a behind-the-scenes look at mom life, and she’s even opened up about postpartum struggles.
Now, with the recent birth of her daughter Esti, the cookbook author and TV personality is once again providing the inside scoop on her family. This time on why she chose to collect and preserve both the cord blood and cord tissue from her umbilical cord at birth, a process known as newborn stem cell preservation.
As a big proponent of placing health and wellness at the center of her household, Teigen called this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity an “obvious choice” that could potentially help protect the future health of her three children.
Her belief in the potential long-term benefits of cord blood banking has since led to her partnership with Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®), the largest private newborn stem cell preservation company in the world.2
“Science is always advancing […] That whole world has always been so fascinating to me, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of it,” Teigen explained to POPSUGAR. “It’s really important for me to let other people know that this is an option and it’s something that they can do to keep their families safe and healthy for years to come.”
Keep reading to discover more about how newborn stem cell preservation with CBR may potentially help benefit your children and family’s health in the future.
Newborn Stem Cells A.K.A the Body’s Own Repair Kit
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Every infant’s umbilical cord is made of tissue and contains blood. At birth, a small amount of each is still available from the umbilical cord—what’s commonly referred to as cord blood and cord tissue.
While cord blood and cord tissue are commonly collected right after a baby is born, some parents choose to leave the umbilical cord attached to their baby for a little longer, prior to clamping. This allows more time for the cord blood to flow back to their baby before collecting the newborn stem cells—a process known as delayed cord clamping.
No matter if parents decide to proceed with clamping at birth or prefer to wait until a later time, the cord blood and cord tissue are still rich in valuable newborn stem cells that have the potential to help the body heal and repair itself.
Two primary types of newborn stem cells can be obtained from cord blood and cord tissue: hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells, which are found in cord blood, act as blood-forming cells with the ability to self-renew. On the other hand, mesenchymal stem cells (contained in cord tissue) play a large role in experimental regenerative medicine applications, which may one day help heal and repair tissues due to its anti-inflammatory effects.2
By preserving newborn stem cells, families may have the opportunity to use them in the future. Infants are a 100% genetic match for their own stem cells and full siblings have a 75% chance of being at least a partial match.
Within the last three decades, cord blood stem cells have been used in over 45,000 stem cell transplants.3 Science continues to advance, and what we know now is that cord blood can be used to treat over 80 conditions, including blood disorders, certain cancers, immune disorders, and metabolic disorders.4
CBR: Leading the Cord Blood Industry
Before the birth of baby Esti, Teigen had her go-to hospital supplies prepped and ready to go. The then-mom of two, who was well-versed in packing a baby bag, made sure to not forget one important item, her CBR collection kit—which she added was “next to the swaddles and everything else.”
“We handed it over right in that [delivery] room,” CBR mom Teigen recalled in an interview with PEOPLE. “[The doctor] popped it open, opened a little cup, and then it was done. It couldn’t have been easier.”
Teigen, who’s preserved all three of her children’s cord blood, isn’t the only celebrity backing cord blood banking with CBR. Board-certified OB/GYN, CBR spokesperson and cord blood expert Dr. Christine Sterling has also publicly voiced the benefits of preserving newborn stem cells, while Something Navy founder Arielle Charnas and former American soccer star Kealia Watt have each shared their own stories of banking their children’s cord blood with CBR.5
Since storing over one million cord blood and cord tissue stem cell units, CBR has released over 700 cord blood units for families intended for use in life-saving transplants and other investigational therapies.6
“As a mom, I want to make sure our children have every possible option available to them,” Teigen said. “I was confident in partnering with CBR, as they are the #1 choice for parents6 and the most recommended cord blood preservation company by OB/GYNs.”7
CBR’s process of collecting newborn stem cells is simple and safe. Upon enrollment, a CBR kit is sent to your home with everything needed for collection. All you have to do is take the kit with you to the hospital (make sure to add it to your baby bag like Teigen!) where your OB/GYN or midwife handles the collection process.
After the collection, contact the provided 24/7 medical courier number to ship your kit to CBR’s lab in Arizona where it will be processed and stored.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity can give you peace of mind that you’ve potentially helped protect your family’s future.
For more information on cord blood banking and how it may be able to help you and your children, visit cordblood.com.
1Chrissy Teigen is a CBR paid ambassador.
2Fan, XL., Zhang, Y., Li, X. et al. Mechanisms underlying the protective effects of mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 77, 2771–2794 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-020-03454-6.5Dr. Christine Sterling, Ariella Charnas and Kealia Watt are paid CBR influencers.
3Wagner JE. Cord blood 2.0: state of the art and future directions in transplant medicine. Blood Res. 2019 Mar;54(1):7-9. doi: 10.5045/br.2019.54.1.7. Epub 2019 Mar 21. PMID: 30956957; PMCID: PMC6439299.
4Mayani, H., Wagner, J.E. & Broxmeyer, H.E. Cord blood research, banking, and transplantation: achievements, challenges, and perspectives. Bone Marrow Transplant 55, 48–61 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-019-0546-9.
5Dr. Christine Sterling, Ariella Charnas and Kealia Watt are paid CBR influencers.
6CBR’s internal data on file.
7Blind survey, Egg Strategy, 10/19, funded by CBR.
The use of cord blood is determined by the treating physician and is influenced by many factors, including the patient’s medical condition, the characteristics of the sample, and whether the cord blood should come from the patient or an appropriately matched donor. Cord blood has established uses in transplant medicine; however, its use in regenerative medicine is still being researched. There is no guarantee that potential medical applications being studied in the laboratory or clinical trials will become available.
Cord tissue use is still in early research stages, and there is no guarantee that treatments using cord tissue will be available in the future. Cord tissue is stored whole. Additional processing prior to use will be required to extract and prepare any of the multiple cell types from cryopreserved cord tissue. Cbr Systems, Inc.’s activities for New York State residents are limited to collection of umbilical cord tissue and long-term storage of umbilical cord–derived stem cells. Cbr Systems, Inc.’s possession of a New York State license for such collection and long-term storage does not indicate approval or endorsement of possible future uses or future suitability of these cells.
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