We’ll visit before you leave hospital to take a small blood sample from you (not your baby).

We’ll also take you through the full consent form if you didn’t sign it before the birth, and ask some routine medical history questions.

Within 30 hours, a courier will take your baby’s cord blood to our cord blood bank, the Anthony Nolan Cell Therapy Centre in Nottingham. We’ll test it to see if it has enough stem cells to use for a transplant and, if it does, we’ll freeze and store it until someone needs it.

If it doesn’t, we’ll either dispose of it using standard medical procedures or use it in vital research.

We have a finite number of people who can collect cord blood. In the unlikely situation that there are multiple births (from mums who have opted to donate) at the same time, we sometimes can’t collect from all of them. Any cord blood has to be collected immediately to be effective.

If this happens, your umbilical cord and placenta will be disposed of using standard NHS maternity procedures.

Other reasons we might not collect and bank your cord blood:

• there isn’t enough blood in your placenta and cord to collect
• your temperature has risen and you have an infection
• there’s a mechanical failure with the equipment used
• other medical issues

Absolutely not. Donating cord blood is risk-free.

After you’ve safely delivered your baby and placenta, we’ll come in and take your cord and placenta to a separate room to extract the blood.

Yes, you can still donate. Anthony Nolan supports NICE guidance not to have the cord clamped earlier than one minute after birth if all is well with the baby. Our collectors will work around your birth plan and provide further evidence-based information as needed to help you make an informed decision. Donating does not affect your birth plan in any way.

Yes, you can.

Yes. We can normally collect your cord blood whether you have an elective or emergency caesarean.

No, don't worry this grant application won't affect other government benefits.

• Grants from other charities or organisations are available. Contact your local Citizen's Advice for details.
• Macmillan Cancer Support offers grants for people undergoing treatment for cancer, including blood cancer.
• Financial support charity Turn2us lists grants that you may be eligible for. They also have a useful Benefits Calculator.

We will be in touch you and your healthcare professional if we have any questions.

Once approved, you can expect payment within approximately two weeks.