Cord Blood Registry?

stephtess

FTM here, we've been getting a lot of pamphlets in the mail regarding cord blood registry and we aren't sure if we should do it. I am a cancer survivor, so part of me wants to have peace of mind that there is something to help our son (or his future sibling) if he ever were to need it. Just wanted to get some insight from moms who have used it or those who haven't and why. Thanks so much!!

alwayshug

I'm also a FTM, but I will say that after looking into the benefits of delayed cord clamping, my husband and I have decided to go that route instead of saving the cord blood.

searchingforameaning

I don't want to pay for storage of cord blood but I have heard there is a way to donate so others in need can benefit.

haboobjob

I had planned to donate with my first but I guess you can't (or at least I couldn't) because I ended up having a c-section. I also was told in one of my birthing classes that the donation forms are pretty long and you have to fill them out right after delivery. I don't know if this is completely true or maybe it depends on the organization? 

JLyn821

We donated DS's cord blood when he was born. Our local cord bank was fantastic. I just had to pre-register and fill out a questionnaire well before my due date. When the cord bank called to say we were approved, she said all we had to do after that was tell L&D we were donating his cord blood. That was it.

Several weeks after he was born, he got a certificate and t-shirt that said, "I helped save lives!" It was really cute.

bananers

JLyn821 said:

We donated DS's cord blood when he was born. Our local cord bank was fantastic. I just had to pre-register and fill out a questionnaire well before my due date. When the cord bank called to say we were approved, she said all we had to do after that was tell L&D we were donating his cord blood. That was it.

Several weeks after he was born, he got a certificate and t-shirt that said, "I helped save lives!" It was really cute.

This was similar to our experience. Easy peasy.

We looked into donating versus storing, and storing was ridiculously expensive, for the off-chance we would need it. So we opted instead to donate, in hopes it could help someone who does need it. The way I see it, if enough people donate, we would find a match if we ever ended up needing it anyway. 

darlingc

So disappointed to find out that the hospital we're delivering at does not participate in cord blood donation.  Look here to see if yours does: https://bethematch.org/support-the-cause/donate-cord-blood/how-to-donate-cord-blood/participating-hospitals/

stephtess

Thanks everyone! Looks like my birth center isn't on that list so I'll have to talk to the midwife when I go see her next. 

smilormarie

We used Maze cord blood banking and only banked cord blood, not tissue, with our first and will again with this one. Its only $2000 for collection, courier, and 20 yrs of storage and they have a monthly payment plan if you prefer rather than paying all at once. Also they were one if the first on the market and I think they've been around since like 1994. If you choose Maze, I can give you my name to use as a reference. I think that way you get $250 off and I can some kind of thank you gift. You MUST get your kit and register in advance. You cannot wait until you go into labor to tell the hospital you want to bank/donate cord blood.  My hospital was not on their standard list so I was charged a minor $250 courier fee which is no biggy. It was offest by the $250 I got by being referred by my friend.

Why is it so cheap? They don't waste money on ads like CBR and Viacord do. :-)

Edit: I had a csection. They CAN do cord blood banking but not delayed cord clamping for a c section granted you bring your collectiin kit and paperwork with you to the hospital.

smilormarie

darlingc said:

So disappointed to find out that the hospital we're delivering at does not participate in cord blood donation.  Look here to see if yours does: https://bethematch.org/support-the-cause/donate-cord-blood/how-to-donate-cord-blood/participating-hospitals/

Here is another list of participating labs:
https://www.savethecordfoundation.org/banking-choices/public-cord-blood-banking-and-donation/#publicbanks 

SkiChic626

We opted for delayed clamping instead - I had a c-section and they were able to do it for me, maybe it depends on the doctor.  They actually held her up over the curtain for me to look at her while they waited  .  I did a lot of research on the benefits and I just couldn't justify spending money on storage.  Plus, we have a yearly bill of $1200 to keep our embryos frozen, so that trumped the cord blood.  That said, if we had a family history of any of the diseases that cord blood could potentially help, which is very small in retrospect, then we may have done it anyway. 

haboobjob

@smilormarie that's good to know! Maybe I'll ask my doctor about it now since its early and see if it's possible to donate since I plan on having a repeat c-section.