cord blood

whitner40

Hello everyone,

 I am just confronted with the decision to save my baby's cord blood or not. I see they are so expensive. Has anyone  out there ever done it? is there any particular company that is better in terms of fees, contracts and storage. simply put, is it a good idea to do this in the first place? is it more beneficial to those with potential genetic abnormalities or what? please help. thanks.

MrsLaLaBug

I think it's a personal decision on whether or not it's "a good idea to do this in the first place".  As for your other questions, I would talk to the respective companies to get your questions answered about fees, contracts, storage, and who it is beneficial to.  Good luck.

LucilleAustero

We opted not to do this with both DD and this bean. A lot fo the companies sell the 10 year guarantee, but the cells degrade after 4 years. Also, there are public banks that are covered by some insurance companies. Lastly, I am friends with a doctor that worked for Viacord for several years. She calls it a really expensive scam. For me, personally, I could not find a scientifically backed reason to opt for it.

But, if money is no object, it can't hurt.

portentosa

I am planning to do delayed cord clamping AND donate the cord. I can't afford to privately bank my DD's cord and I personally would like to donate it to possibly help another family or to be used in research.

Delayed cord clamping (waiting to clamp or cut the cord until it stops pulsing) delivers a significant amount of blood to the baby, significantly increasing their iron stores. Once the cord is done pulsing there is still enough blood in it to be useful (as well as the tissue itself being valuable for research if you are donating).

This is a decision you have to make for your own family based on what is important to you. It is very expensive to bank it for yourself, but if you can afford it and it's important to you go for it. If money is a factor stopping you, maybe consider donating to a public bank... but with that you need to do some homework and make the decision sooner rather than later. Some hospitals are affiliated with a public bank, but many are not. If you deliver in a hospital that is not affiliated with a public bank you need to make arrangements with the bank yourself, and banks typically have a cutoff of new applicants at 34 weeks. If you apply before 34 weeks they will send you a package for your doctor to pack the cord into and send off to the bank.

526SadieSadie

We went with a public bank because it's free.  Everything is coded so if we do need to use it, we can get it, but I really loved that DD's cord blood could be used to help someone else in need.  If there was a history of diseases in our families that are treatable with cord blood we might have gone with a private bank.

mb314

theresat858 said:

Generally speaking, no, there is no reason to bank your babies cord blood unless money truly is no object for you.  The current proven uses are very limited, and the science to generate stem cells from other sources is constantly evolving. 

Delayed cord clamping (which is generally not compatible with cord banking, though I have heard mixed things on that) has proven immediate health benefits to your baby.  A delay of 3 minutes reduces anemia as far out from birth as 6 months. 

This.  We choose to delay cord clamping.

If I were to bank, I would choose a public bank.  I personally think the private cord banking companies are predatory - preying on women and families at a time when they are vulnerable.  I found this Wall Street Journal article to be an eye opener  https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303887804579501500366071342

TaraGoldenCO

Is it easy to donate cord blood? I'd be happy to do this. I'll have to check into it during my hospital visit. 

portentosa

TaraGoldenCO said:

Is it easy to donate cord blood? I'd be happy to do this. I'll have to check into it during my hospital visit. 

@TaraGoldenCO
Ask your hospital if they are affiliated with a public bank. If they are they should be able to walk you through the whole process. If they are not and you are not yet 34 weeks then you can contact a public bank yourself. They will send you a package for the cord to be packed and shipped back to them in. Also, talk to your OB about your plan to donate. Many have packed cords to be donated before, but some have not.... in those cases most banks have a tutorial for your OB to familiarize themselves with the process.

whitner40

thank you all so much. this information is so helpful. Unfortunately, I am near due date so I cannot contact any public bank right now. if anyone knows any public bank that will be willing accept at 37 weeks , pls let me know in NYC.it is better to have it be use by some one than discarding it,

portentosa

whitner40 said:

thank you all so much. this information is so helpful. Unfortunately, I am near due date so I cannot contact any public bank right now. if anyone knows any public bank that will be willing accept at 37 weeks , pls let me know in NYC.it is better to have it be use by some one than discarding it,

I personally had no luck at all finding any bank that would work with a mother past 34 weeks.... paperwork time I guess. I hope someone can prove me wrong though. Call your hospital and see if they are affiliated with a public bank. If they are I think it's much simpler and doesn't have the time limit. GL!

TaraGoldenCO

I wish I would have thought of this earlier. I have my appointment with my hospital at the end of this week, and I'll start with that.  I'll let you know if I have any luck. 

GeminiJordan

My hospital has a donation program and I plan on contributing to that. A cool perk of that is if I ever need it and they haven't used it yet we can get it back but in the mean time the idea of saving another life is cool!