Cord Blood Banking

jamie217

We are going over the cord blood banking pamphlet because my Dr. told me to decide by my 16 week appt (which seems early).  We can't see any reason NOT to bank the babies cords, but I'm just overwhelmed by the cost on top over everything else. 

Even with the lowest payment we'd be paying $120/month for the next 4 yrs, along with a mortgage, 2 car payments, student loans and all the other expenses of 2 babies, I getting scared that we won't be able to stay a float, esp. while I'm on maternity.  DH suggested paying it and then using the money from their Christening to pay some of it off, but I feel like we should put that money away for them for college.

I am just curious to see what other people did and if anyone has any any suggestions for budgeting all of this!  I am so excited for these babies and feel so lucky, but I feel like as soon as I feel of OK with everything something else starts to stress me out.  TIA! 

lgurian

we didnt bank it, we did donate it (which is free obviously). i didnt feel the cost/benifit was worth the money (cause it sure aint cheap). in my research i have found that they cant do all that much with the cord blood yet. hence the donation, hopefully they will be able to find something really great to do with it. if you have a history in your family of any of the things it can help then i would go for it. and of course if something does happen to my babies then i would regret not doing it. but like i said, the chance of them getting one of the few things it can help wasnt worth the $120/mo for us. it's a tough choice. GL.

ahava2005

My husband is a nurse practioner who does hem/onc (blood cancers).  I'll put it this way:  no doctor or nurse who works in oncology that he works with (at one of the top cancer centers in the country) banks cord blood from their children. When I had my son (and my twins) it didn't even cross his mind.

The probability of needing it are miniscule.  And, even when donating, the chances of it being used AND that it actually working are even smaller.  He has worked with patients who have received the transplants.  The % that are successful...is extremely extremely small.

 Its great marketing, though.  Another way to scare new parents. Unless you have a very very strong family history of blood cancers, don't waste your money. 

jamie217

Thank you so much!  Your response was so helpful!  I felt like a bad parent for even considering not doing it!  And now I am sure that the money will be better used for me staying out on leave longer with my babies.

Temp159135562506975

here's a great post about cord blood banking

https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/26275911/ShowThread.aspx#26275911

We donated Griffin's and wanted to donate the twins but they wouldn't even take it from twins b/c they usually can't get enough to make it worth it--- but they'll never tell you that when they are going to get money from you!

Donate if they'll take it... otherwise, save your money.

even on the Dr. Oz show the other day they said that it's better to donate - and if everyone donated there'd be a huge bank for when it's needed - like blood. 

mrskimmieD

I banked mine because we didn't ever want to be in a position that we could have used it but we had chosen not to due to finances, etc...

Gail is right about how they aren't able to get a large amount from twins but we got a huge amount with each of our children.  My son's amount was in the average amount they get from a singleton and the amount we got from my daughter blew away the amount that is normally gotten from a singleton birth.  So I still feel that it was the right decision for us.

groovygrl

I wanted to donate but was bummed about the twin thing.

We did bank. I was not really all for it but MH really wanted to even knowing that the chances of using it now are slim but I  who knows about the technology in the future (that is the hope I guess). I know that it is probably never going to be used or enough or whatever, but my dad recently passed away from leukemia & the whole thing hit home.

 I don't know why your dr would make you decide by 16 weeks though, you just have to decide in enough time for the company to send you the kit before you deliver.  

marukagmb

Hi, we banked our son's cord blood in '08 with the Cord Blood Registry and will do so again with our second baby (girl!) due in June, '10. it is costly, but the yearly fee, is nominal, $125 a year - which when you divide by 12 comes out to not that much. Also, we opted for the 6 months, no interest payment plan, which is one of several payment options offered by CBR. You also should keep in mind that you start paying when you deliver - the sample is stored) so at 16 weeks, if you decide to bank, you could start putting a little bit away each month to pay down the balance so when your baby is born, your lump payment isn't that much. ALso, as a CBR Parent and client, I am able to offer a discount off of the initial fee - the $250 discount helps a little. Finally, CBR has a baby gift registry so that you can also have friends and family know you are banking and they have the option to gift towards the cost. There are ways. Ultimately, we felt very strongly about cord blood banking and especially feel more committed to having made the right decision by going with CBR. Particularly after I was able to visit their storage and processing facility in Arizona during their first-ever Cord Blood Parents Summit this past September of '09. Their sample processing is the best among the private cord blood banks, they are able to save more cells than others and even from samples that other companies would consider to small to obtain any cells from.  I also had the chance to speka with some of the real families that have used the cells with their children with amazing results.  We see it as added insurance for the health of our children. 

 For information on the discount code and how to apply it, please visit www.thecordbloodregistrymom.com.

I hope the information helped and congratulations on your pregnancy! take care!