Cord Blood Banking?

pennyblossom42 · November 2012

So I don't know much about Cord Blood Banking, but I'm going to do more research. I asked my midwife if it was even an option with a home birth and she said yes. So I was wondering, is/did anyone decide to do cord blood banking with a home birth?

AmyRI · November 2012

I would not bank cord blood, regardless of place of delivery.

Someone posted an article that I've been unable to find since, but it explained that a sick child is not going to be treated effectively using its' own banked cord blood. The blood could only be used to treat very close family members, if they were a match. Plus it's really expensive for a small chance at it being used later on by someone else.

If you feel strongly about cord blood banking, see if there's a public bank you can donate to instead of a private one. But my preference is to not cut the cord until it stops pulsing, which means there will not be enough blood to bank anyway as it will be in baby instead.

pdilly2b · November 2012

AmyRI:
I would not bank cord blood, regardless of place of delivery.

Someone posted an article that I've been unable to find since, but it explained that a sick child is not going to be treated effectively using its' own banked cord blood. The blood could only be used to treat very close family members, if they were a match. Plus it's really expensive for a small chance at it being used later on by someone else.

If you feel strongly about cord blood banking, see if there's a public bank you can donate to instead of a private one. But my preference is to not cut the cord until it stops pulsing, which means there will not be enough blood to bank anyway as it will be in baby instead.

All of this for me too. As a scientist, I think private banking is a complete crock and scam. I would have loved to donate to a public bank, but it was not an option at the hospital I delivered (availability is extremely limited geographically) so we did delayed clamping/cutting so DS got the blood himself.

oliversmommy32912 · November 2012

Yep, as PP said if you really look into it it seems like a scam. We delayed cord clamping so that our baby would get the cord blood after the birth.

julyjennifer · November 2012

I wouldn't do it. I think it's much more important health-wise to allow time for the baby to have their full blood volume back into their body before cutting the cord.

I think this blog post offers a good perspective and info.

https://midwifethinking.com/2011/02/10/cord-blood-collection-confessions-of-a-vampire-midwife/

reason00 · November 2012

AmyRI:
I would not bank cord blood, regardless of place of delivery.

Someone posted an article that I've been unable to find since, but it explained that a sick child is not going to be treated effectively using its' own banked cord blood. The blood could only be used to treat very close family members, if they were a match. Plus it's really expensive for a small chance at it being used later on by someone else.

If you feel strongly about cord blood banking, see if there's a public bank you can donate to instead of a private one. But my preference is to not cut the cord until it stops pulsing, which means there will not be enough blood to bank anyway as it will be in baby instead.

Exactly why I donated his cord blood. It will help someone NOW. Not "maybe...possibly...could...might...help me in the future".

GoldenPeaches · November 2012

No, I would not bank cord blood. I believe in the benefits of delayed cord clamping so that is what I did with DS and future LOs.

pennyblossom42 · November 2012

Thanks for all the advice! I would rather do delayed cutting of the cord so my baby gets all the blood.

lylahlove · November 2012

That blood is so, so beneficial to your newborn - let them have it right away

Minipenguin · November 2012

I'll be the one with an unpopular opinion here

We are banking. We have a family history of childhood cancers in my family. With certain disorders, the blood of a sick child can not be used to treat that child. But, what if our second child (if we have one) gets sick? We will use this baby's blood to treat their illness. Yes, the blood could help another child now but if my kid is sick with something that can be treated with cord blood, I will never forgive myself for not banking.

Yes, some people will call this fear mongering. But, unfortunately, it does happen to some people. For DH and I, the money (2k up front or 12 months of 200$/month or 24 months of 100$/month) is not prohibitive. Also, I don't agree with allowing the cord to pulse. I'm not criticizing anyone who wants to let it pulse -- your kid, your decision. But based on the research I've done, I'm not comfortable with it so we would be clamping and cutting immediately anyway. There wasn't a question of "should we let it pulse or bank it?" The question was more, "should we bank it or donate it?"

But do your research. There is a lot of info about it. GL.

tokenhoser · November 2012

We delayed cord clamping. Just like every other mammal on the planet. I think nature was onto something when it designed the cord blood to go into the baby.

Runner up would be donation. I truly believe we'll look back on the private banking option as a dark moment in birth history.

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