Cord Blood Banking

VeronicaAnn143 · October 2013

I figured there would already be a thread on this but if there is I can't find it..

So, has anyone given this any thought? Anyone planning on it? Definitely not? Why?

In true bump fashion...here's a list of what's been running through my head on it:

1- Obviously if LO or anyone else ever needs it, this is your only chance to save it.

2- The odds of someone in the family needing it and being able to use it are something like 1/5000 from what I've read.

3- Past childhood, there's a chance that there won't be enough for it to be therapeutic.

4- BUT, if it ever does become necessary, obviously none of the drawbacks matter.

5- It's expensive to collect initially ($1500-$2000-ish I think) but not so bad yearly after that ($150-ish?)

6- There are all kinds of new diseases and disorders and defects that they're looking into treating with stem cells but who knows how long it will be before it's approved as an actual treatment.

Has anyone done it for a previous LO?

Thoughts? Discuss...

VeronicaAnn143 · October 2013

The other thing I read was that you have to be careful which private bank you choose if you do decide to bank because even though they all pass certain standards, if it ever IS stored improperly it may render the cells useless when and if it ever matters. So many things to think about.

mythaldo · October 2013

I talked about cord blood banking and delayed cord clamping with my OB. He said delayed cord clamping is bogus unfortunately. He said 60 seconds after delivery is when he recommends clamping; it gives enough time for the blood between baby and the placenta to equalize. Beyond that and blood will flow away from whichever is higher, which is almost always the baby on mom's chest. He said waiting too long or until the placenta is delivered can greatly increase the risk of hemorrhaging.

As for cord blood banking, he'd said it's like buying an insurance policy of sorts. For a bone marrow transplant, it gives your baby a perfect match. It can help family members to a degree as well. The rest of the possibilities are pretty remote at this point, but that could change almost anytime, so he said it mostly comes down to economics, whether the cost is comfortable for you or not.

We're still considering cord blood banking; my coworker referred me to a bank out of Utah that only cost $700 for collection a pretty standard $150 yearly fee, so we may go with that. He said some places do have specials they run every now an then if you can commit ahead enough of the birth.

boogerbearoriginal · October 2013

The concept is interesting to me, but the cost is too high for us given the really slim chance of needing it or it being helpful.

dadalou · October 2013

We are not banking. We don't have the money to pay for it and the chance of using it is so small. We donated with DD and will probably do that again this time. That way it can be given to someone who needs it or be used for research. It's free to donate so I feel that is the best option for us.

slwprincess · October 2013

We banked DDs and will bank this one. In our case, we had 8 cases of cancer in our families in the 3 years between having our first and second child. Most concerning is that my brother was diagnosed with the same rare form of leukemia that killed our dad. It is not believed to be genetic but the docs agree- it's too much to be coincidence. And it is one of the cancers where cord blood could be used.

After talking to MANY different docs (Ob, PCP, cancer docs, oncologists, pedi, endocrinologist, etc) we received 100% confirmation from them all that it was the right thing for US to do. Not saying it's right for everyone- as we chose not to do it with our first based on family history at that time.

But I would really encourage all who do not bank to please consider donation. I have a friend whose son who just received a cord blood transplant for AML this summer and his recovery has been absolutely miraculous.

slwprincess · October 2013

Forgot to say we use Cord Blood Registry. It was very simple and the courier arrived within 1 hr of birth. I had confirmation email of storage and amount collected before I left the hospital. Very pleased.

sdlaura · October 2013

After doing some research, we decided not to do it. The possible benefits seem to be pretty low probability events. Maybe if we had some kind of large health issue with any family members we would have considered it further.

sdlaura · October 2013

mythaldo said:

I talked about cord blood banking and delayed cord clamping with my OB. He said delayed cord clamping is bogus unfortunately. He said 60 seconds after delivery is when he recommends clamping; it gives enough time for the blood between baby and the placenta to equalize. Beyond that and blood will flow away from whichever is higher, which is almost always the baby on mom's chest. He said waiting too long or until the placenta is delivered can greatly increase the risk of hemorrhaging.

As for cord blood banking, he'd said it's like buying an insurance policy of sorts. For a bone marrow transplant, it gives your baby a perfect match. It can help family members to a degree as well. The rest of the possibilities are pretty remote at this point, but that could change almost anytime, so he said it mostly comes down to economics, whether the cost is comfortable for you or not.

We're still considering cord blood banking; my coworker referred me to a bank out of Utah that only cost $700 for collection a pretty standard $150 yearly fee, so we may go with that. He said some places do have specials they run every now an then if you can commit ahead enough of the birth.

Actually there are many reputable studies that endorse delayed clamping. But believe it or not, 60 seconds is actually considered delayed cord clamping - the recommendations are for one to three minutes. We waited a couple minutes with our daughter and will do it again with this baby.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263181.php

Meghan14 · October 2013

Bookshelves said:

Early FFFC: I started researching this once and got overwhelmed. It seems like there aren't options locally for me to do it, in any case. I like the idea of it, but between the cost and the million other things to think about between now and delivery, I doubt I'll do it. It is interesting, though, and I like hearing what others are doing.

I also got overwhelmed... I don't even have the excuse of location. Donation sounds like a possibility. I'll have to look into it a bit more.

slwprincess · October 2013

To be clear, there doesn't need to be a bank near you at all! It's all handled by couriers. They send you the kit ahead of delivery (or your Ob may have some in the office). You fill out the info ahead of time and take the kit with you. Dr collects the cord blood and gives the kit back to you (or probably DH). DH calls the number on the box for courier. They pick it up and voila. Done.

Cord Blood Banking

Re: Cord Blood Banking

Choose Another Board

Search Boards