1st Trimester

Talk to me about banking cord blood

since it was brought up... This is baby #1 for us. We got some information on cord blood, but it didn't talk at all about banking or donating it. Is there a national registry for it, or is that something we would do through the hospital in which we deliver? What is the annual cost (on average)? 
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Re: Talk to me about banking cord blood

  • The annual cost at the hospital I'm delivering at is about 2,400...but I think if you set up a multi-year plan, it costs less per month...and then there's the initial fee which is up in the thousands...basically, it's really expensive :(
    Stephanie Ella ~ 6/15/2012
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  • You can do public or private cord blood banking or donate your cord blood. Private means that you pay for the retrieval, pay for the storage, and the cord blood is only accessible to you. The cost is normally $2,000+ plus annual storage fees. Public banking is much cheaper but there is no guarantee that if you need your cord blood you'll get your cord blood, they will just try to match you. I'm not sure what the cost is for donating, if any. 

    ViaCord and CBR are two of the most reliable and popular private companies and they will send you free information. We used ViaCord because our Dr and hospital said they are the most reliable (in their experience at that hospital/practice). ViaCord e-mails and mails us updates regularly with new research or new applications for cord blood. All and all the process was pretty easy. The cost is high but we think of it like an insurance policy, you pay for it with the hopes that you never have to use it but if you do it's there.

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  • We chose not to bank it, but we would have donated if it were an option in our area.  It might be worth it in some cases based on family history but private banking is a waste of money for most people.  Chances are pretty slim that your child's own cord blood could be used to help them.  It's also not really known how long it will remain effective while in storage.  Here are a few WebMd articles with more info: #1, #2, #3

    This ABC news article also has a good line: Both Viacord and Cord Blood Registry state that for most of the conditions listed in their marketing materials they are referring to possible future uses for cord blood and not implying these diseases are currently being treated with cord blood stem cells or that you can use your own cord blood stem cells for all of the conditions listed.

    ETA: It's pretty pricey too.  You're looking at about $2300 for the first year (includes collection, processing, and storage) and then a storage fee of $125 a year after that.

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  • Here's a link from ViaCord's website, if you click on the link for "transplants using cord blood" it will download a pdf showing you actual transfers, what they were used for, and who (self or sibling), if anyone is interested.

    https://www.viacord.com/private-public-banking.htm 

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  • Thanks everyone!
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  • imagekatcarls:

    We chose not to bank it, but we would have donated if it were an option in our area.  It might be worth it in some cases based on family history but private banking is a waste of money for most people.  Chances are pretty slim that your child's own cord blood could be used to help them.  It's also not really known how long it will remain effective while in storage.  Here are a few WebMd articles with more info: #1, #2, #3

    This ABC news article also has a good line: Both Viacord and Cord Blood Registry state that for most of the conditions listed in their marketing materials they are referring to possible future uses for cord blood and not implying these diseases are currently being treated with cord blood stem cells or that you can use your own cord blood stem cells for all of the conditions listed.

    ETA: It's pretty pricey too.  You're looking at about $2300 for the first year (includes collection, processing, and storage) and then a storage fee of $125 a year after that.

     

    A few of these articles are old, notably one from Jan 2007. 

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  • imageGhostMonkey:

    Look into public cord banking. Chances are you or someone you know will never need it, and if your child does have a problem, it really doesn't make sense to use cells that came from them. The concept is similar to donating to a regular blood bank.

    https://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org/donation/public_vs_private_donation.html

     

     

     

    Exactly, exactly, exactly, exactly.  My husband is a pediatric sub specialist, as are a lot of our friends, and everyone from the peds oncologists, hemotologists, NICU docs, etc. all explained that unless you have an existing child with a specific need, it is essentially useless.   

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  • imageJG362009:
    imageGhostMonkey:

    Look into public cord banking. Chances are you or someone you know will never need it, and if your child does have a problem, it really doesn't make sense to use cells that came from them. The concept is similar to donating to a regular blood bank.

    https://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org/donation/public_vs_private_donation.html

     

     

     

    Exactly, exactly, exactly, exactly.  My husband is a pediatric sub specialist, as are a lot of our friends, and everyone from the peds oncologists, hemotologists, NICU docs, etc. all explained that unless you have an existing child with a specific need, it is essentially useless.   

     

     Agreed. I had childhood cancer and even one of the leading cancer research doctors recommended against it, as did our pedi. 

     

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  • Not to mention, there are many benefits to letting the cord pulse out right after birth and you can't do that if you bank it.  But If we weren't going to let it pulse out, we'd donate it to a public place. 
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  • We dontated the first time and will again this time.
  • Banking your baby's umbilical cord blood is very important in case your child ever needs it. There are many diseases it can help such as cerebral palsy, leukemias, myeloldysplastic syndromes (pre-leukemia) lymphomas, Erythrocyte, and other bone cancers.

    If you  go to this non commercial site https://tinyurl.com/2b7ba9d
     and check out the comparison chart for different banks you can choose the one that is right for you.  It can be expensive, so choose the bank that offers no annual fee as well as a payment plan.  Check out this video,  https://tinyurl.com/ylmfy8u to see how banking cord blood might save your baby's life

    Good luck

     

    joyce 

    joyce@mazelabs.com www.mazecordblood.com
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