Anyone planning to do this? Does your insurance cover it? For the STMs, did you opt to bank the cord blood last time? Is it worth while? Also if your doctor will be stripping the cord prior to clamping, is this even an option?
My OB practices delayed cord clamping and stripping the cord (basically pushing the remnant cord blood back to baby prior to clamping and cutting the cord). Our insurance will only cover cord blood banking if the baby has a known medical condition that will require them to need blood transfusions. So I expect to have to pay OOP if we do opt for CBB.
I'm a STM and my state (Michigan) has a free cord blood banking program if you deliver at certain hospitals. Their program is more similar to donating blood - your baby won't benefit from their cord blood, but others who need it could or it could be used for scientific research. I applied to the program again this time, but the hospital I'll deliver at is no longer participating in the program. We decided not to seek a private cord blood bank due to the cost as our insurance won't cover it.
***TW*** RAD born 6/2015 | mc at 7 weeks 9/2016 | rainbow baby RHD born 9/2017
We did something similar to what @upnorthmom described. There is one local hospital that takes donations of cord blood. I called while I was pregnant and got the kit then my doctor just did the collection. It will not benefit my baby directly but will help someone else. It didn't cost us anything.
My sister works in the medical field and told me that they are starting to actually grow organs from cord stem cells. Since my baby has a urinary tract defect, I am going to try to bank his cord blood. I have a feeling insurance won't cover it, because insurance tries to not cover anything it can get away with. I think it may cost around $1k??? I don't know, but if I can swing it, I will do it. Can you imagine a decade down the road being able to have doctors grow a new kidney that is an exact match for you? Crazy!
Unless there were serious medical concerns for baby or sibling, I think the health benefits of baby having delayed cord clamping and the blood going to them is important enough to pass on donating.
We plan to do delayed cord clamping, and I was under the impression that delayed cord calmping and banking cord blood were mutually exclusive- if you do one, there isn't enough blood left for the other. Am I misinformed?
I didn't do it with my first son, but I'm looking in to doing it this time. CBR has a monthly payment plan, and it seems a lot more feasible now, than it did back then.
I'm on the same boat with @wyomama0427 it never really crossed my mind. Unless the OB recommends it due to a defect I plan on skipping this time as well.
I did a lot of research into this! I would love to bank. As a Type 1 DM, there's always the concern of children having it and if cord blood can be used eventually. I was looking into ViaCord and they had their upfront costs plus annual costs laid out:
My insurance doesn't cover any of it though.
Me: 27 years old DH: 27 years old Type 1 Diabetes since 2001, MTHFR hetero A1298T Dogs: Raider 4 yrs, Dex 4 yrs
Married in July 2014
TTC #1 since late Feb 2016
BFP #1 3/29/16 MMC: 5/5/16 BFP #2 7/6/16 SCH, D&C 8/4/16 BFP #3 12/26/16 EDD: 9/6/17 My Chart / My Diabetes/Pregnancy Blog My Type 1/TTC/Pregnancy Podcast: Juicebox Podcast Episode 118 A1Cs: 1/12/16 6.7% 5/25/16 6.0% 11/2/16 6.1% 3/22/16 5.8% 4/27/17 5.4% 6/13/17 5.3% "Sugar Fancy Tutu"
Holy crap @Sugargirl1019! The annual storage fees are crazy!
Since we don't have any known issue at this point that would make it expedient to bank the cord blood, I think we will stick with the OB's routine delayed clamping and cord stripping.
For those of you who did delayed clamping, how long did you delay? Did you have to advocate for it, or is it becoming more common?
At our hospital it is becoming common practice, but I know that is different from hospital to hospital. All my research says delaying 30 seconds to 1 minute is recommended, but no longer than 1 minute or complications can occur.
I plan to delay clamping until the cord stops pulsing. It's my understanding you can't bank that blood, if any is left.
<><><><><>DD1- May 2011<><><><><> <><><><><>Angel Baby- June 2012<><><><><> <><><><><>DD2- March 2013<><><><><> <><><><><>DS1- ETA September 2017<><><><><>
For those of you who did delayed clamping, how long did you delay? Did you have to advocate for it, or is it becoming more common?
My OB does it as part of her standard delivery. However not all of the OBs at her office do normally practice delayed clamping. Some doctor's in our area are really resistant to the idea, and some are on board. It varies a lot in my area at least.
We didn't do delayed cord clamping based on articles I read. It seems like it provides more of a benefit for premie baby's and can increase jaundice in full term babies. DS was Coombs+ and had an increased risk for jaundice since our blood didn't match. We didn't do delayed clamping (shoot it was so fast DH couldn't even cut it due to complications) but he may have had jaundice issues. But I think if that's what you want then you should be supported in your decision by your doctor/midwife
Re: Cord Blood Banking
RAD born 6/2015 | mc at 7 weeks 9/2016 | rainbow baby RHD born 9/2017
Me: 34 | DH: 31
Married: Nov. 7, 2015
TTC Since: February, 2016
BFP: December 20, 2016
My insurance doesn't cover any of it though.
Type 1 Diabetes since 2001, MTHFR hetero A1298T
Dogs: Raider 4 yrs, Dex 4 yrs
BFP #2 7/6/16 SCH, D&C 8/4/16
BFP #3 12/26/16 EDD: 9/6/17
My Chart / My Diabetes/Pregnancy Blog
My Type 1/TTC/Pregnancy Podcast:
Juicebox Podcast Episode 118
A1Cs:
1/12/16 6.7%
5/25/16 6.0%
11/2/16 6.1%
3/22/16 5.8%
4/27/17 5.4%
6/13/17 5.3%
"Sugar Fancy Tutu"
Oi, that's a lot of money! I didn't even think about the yearly storage cost!
Me: 34 | DH: 31
Married: Nov. 7, 2015
TTC Since: February, 2016
BFP: December 20, 2016
Since we don't have any known issue at this point that would make it expedient to bank the cord blood, I think we will stick with the OB's routine delayed clamping and cord stripping.
<><><><><>Angel Baby- June 2012<><><><><>
<><><><><>DD2- March 2013<><><><><>
<><><><><>DS1- ETA September 2017<><><><><>
But I think if that's what you want then you should be supported in your decision by your doctor/midwife