Seeking Advice from Mamas on Whether to Bank Cord Blood.

Updated on September 13, 2011
C.G. asks from Round Rock, TX
15 answers

I am debating on whether to bank my baby's cord blood. I am curious on how many other mamas decided for or against it. Thanks for any input you can provide:)

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So What Happened?

Hi Mamas,
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their responses. I understand this isn't an easy topic to discuss but it's one we are presented with as new parents and time sensitive. I had done all the scientific research on cord banking but needed a human element to the subject matter to see the full picture. That's what I love about this site...we are all in this together as loving parents that just want what is best for our children. I found everyone's insight informative and refreshing. Thanks again and I hope in the future I a reciprocate on this site all the info and knowledge everyone passed to me.

Featured Answers

K.N.

answers from Austin on

We chose not to. The cost to do it, plus the annual on-going cost to maintain it, was not economically logical for us. It made more sense to funnel that money towards a college fund instead of the cost to keep cord blood frozen for the next 'upteenth' years.

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D.

answers from Houston on

I chose not to bank the cord blood but to instead let that blood go into my babies. If you think about it, that blood is not extra or disposable. It's part of their blood volume that is needed to supply their little lungs and other organs that they didn't need to use fully in utero. Delaying clamping the cord also gives you a bit of extra time in case he/she needs it to get started breathing on their own. I encourage you to continue your research about this topic.

Best wishes for you and your little one.

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M.S.

answers from San Antonio on

We donated our children's cord blood figuring that if we were generous in giving our cord blood to others and to research that if we ever needed it in the future hopefully someone else's donation would help us at a later date. It was free to donate and hopefully we will not need it...but if it can help others why not. Also, the prices to bank it were a bit on the steep side for our pocket book.

My mom was a type I childhood diabetic and I hope that in the future they can figure out how to use the stem cells to cure that disease. It took at least 30 years off her life span.

Honestly I didn't realize what a hot topic this was until reading some on the replies...you learn something new everyday...I love this site!!

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L.M.

answers from Austin on

Once again, cord blood is collected once the cord has been cut...See Below from following website...

http://www.wdxcyber.com/collectingcordblood.html

After Birth
Once you have given birth, your newborn’s umbilical cord will be cut. As you and your child become acquainted, a nurse or doctor will take that cut umbilical cord to drain the blood from it. This will not affect you or baby in anyway or interrupt the care that you need and receive.

The cord blood service you have chosen will provide you with a collection kit prior to your due date. Make sure you bring this kit with you when you rush off to the hospital, as your health care provider will not be able to collect the cord blood without it.

In Action
There are two ways in which cord blood can be collected. The method used to collect your baby’s cord blood will depend upon which umbilical cord blood storage service you have chosen.

The first method involves using a syringe. With this collection method, a syringe is inserted into the umbilical cord and draws the blood in. The syringe contains an anticoagulant to prevent the blood from clotting in the syringe. This technique typically is able to collect more blood than the blood bag method, therefore making it a more reliable collection process. It can be done before or after the placenta is delivered.

The blood bag collection method is similar to the syringe method except that bags are used instead. With this technique, a needle is inserted into the umbilical vein and, using gravity for assistance, the blood is drained into a bag. When the blood is done being drained, the blood bag is sealed and labeled so that it is ready for pick up. Normally, blood bag collection is performed before the placenta is delivered.

Collecting cord blood should be done within the first 15 minutes after birth. The longer you wait to collect the blood, the less blood you will be able to collect, which means fewer stem cells. Whether your health care provider collects the blood using a syringe or a blood bag, the entire process shouldn’t take more than five minutes.

Hi C.! I can tell you this was a huge debate for my last son who is now 18 months old. We decided the night before to bank his cord blood and we are SO glad that we did. Let me tell you why...First of all, any family members can use this cord blood for many diseases etc and the child can use it for even MORE. Second, my son had a stroke at some time in utero or shortly there after and now that President Obama supports stem cell research, it may benefit my son one day with his physical disability. I don't know for sure but who knows! Third, with all the stem cell research you just never know how this could benefit your child and your family one day. I totally believe that any stem cell procedures that can SAVE a family member is "right". I hope this helps you with your decision and remember it is your decision and try not to focus so much on the price. If it can help your child or your family out one day, that is priceless!

I totally disagree with the fact that it is harmful to your baby...This is information that I looked up on how cord blood is drawn and it is AFTER the cord has been cut...this is the website.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cordbloodban...

How is cord blood collected?
The cord blood collection process is simple, safe, and painless. It is usually completed in less than five minutes by your health care provider. Cord blood collection does not interfere with delivery and is possible with vaginal or cesarean deliveries. Your health care provider will use one of two options for cord blood collection: syringe method or bag method.

Syringe method: a syringe is used to draw blood from the umbilical cord shortly after the umbilical cord has been cut. The process is basically the same as drawing blood for a blood test.
Bag method: the umbilical cord is elevated to cause the blood to drain into a bag.
The syringe or bag should be pre-labeled with a unique number that represents your baby. Cord blood may only be collected during the first 15 minutes following the birth, and should be processed by the laboratory within 48 hours.

L. M.

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M.H.

answers from Houston on

I banked our daughters cord blood. I do not agree with the health risk to the child in previous posts. We decided to use Lifebank.

In your search to decide to bank or not, consider the race of you and the father. This, not commonly known to many, is a deciding factor if you decide to donate to a facility that you can then "draw from" if need be. I absolutely do not agree that they are "bleeding" your child just to try and save the cord blood.

I am happily married to a man whose mother is afflicted with lupus. Who knows? Why are so many, so blind, that we may think in this society that cord blood may not help those, whom you love, in the near furture? The way I see it, if you dont have to use it, good for you, if you do need to use, good for you....(that you saved it)

Good luck in your search for your answer, I wish you a safe and happy delivery and congratulations on the new baby!!

Margaret :)

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K.K.

answers from Killeen on

hmmmm...this is such a touchy subject ofr some people...and such a personal choice to be asking for opinions on...

Ultimately this is going to boil down to what you and your husband thing is the righ thing to do for your blossoming family...

When I had my children I looked into banking the cord blood. The reasons for it at the time (I do not believe they have changed but do not know for sure) are to help a person recover from what are ultimately rare or at least uncommon diseases. There are not many that this particular thing (cord blood) can help with. But the few that it does help cure are life threatening and heart rendign to the families. The chances that I personally would need to have use of this for me or my family was not high enough to offset the cost of the storage. So I made the choice not to do it.

I did consider doing it for donation instead, but my family has it's own health issues that I am not sure if they would be passed on in this manner or not and did not want to risk and already compromised person in this way to go from one health issue to another...

Good luck in making your choice and I wish you the best! ;-)

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L.M.

answers from Houston on

If you have the funds to afford the continued cost of storage, by all means do it. Unfortunately, we did not when my son was born. Thankfully, he is healthy, so far. Cord blood can be used for so many things. With medical technology we have today, it is so very worth keeping.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

When we had our first child we decided against saving it due to the cost. If you can afford it why not?

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A.R.

answers from New York on

Hi ! I work for A. Registry, a cord blood bank. Please look out for our upcoming Cord Advantage product launch that saves many more stem cells as compared to cord blood banking alone. Also, we have better pricing than most of our competitors. www.cordadvantage.com

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K.K.

answers from Austin on

You should not bank the baby's cord blood. You should not even allow the cord to be cut until it stops pulsing. In the hospital they usually always cut the cord right away. This is very bad for the baby. If they wait until the cord stops pulsing the baby has a much easier transition to life outside the uterus. They don't have to breathe right away because they are still getting everything they need through the cord. That blood belongs to that baby. When the cord is clamped right after birth the baby is deprived of as much as 1/3 to 1/2 of the blood volume. An adult would die with this much blood loss. This is one of the reasons that babies are one of the most heavily transfused groups of patients in modern medicine.

Lisa
Former NICU Respiratory Therapist and now a homebirth Midwife.

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S.B.

answers from San Antonio on

We did quite a bit of research into this, with both DH and myself having medical backgrounds. Cord blood technology is still VERY new. The chances that the cord blood can save some rare disease that your child may have is slim to none at this stage - especially since the disease may be present in the blood that's been saved! We chose to donate the cord blood to a PUBLIC bank. It costs you absolutely nothing, and not only is it available for YOUR child, but it may save someone else's child as well.

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J.M.

answers from Odessa on

Hi C..

I haven't read all the responses but I wanted to let you know about stem cells from baby teeth. I do not have a lot of information but I think you might find a little more info from a pediatric dentist.

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A.M.

answers from El Paso on

Hi. I really wanted to, but after my husband looked into it, we decided not to. We didn't have any concerns that it would harm our son. We opted not to because most of what the cord blood can do, bone marrow can do. Also, it would be unlikely that my son would benefit from his own... We were going to donate his, but the Red Cross never called us back before we had our son. Do what you need to do. My best friend has both her children's banked and says it's the cheapest insurance they could get. Decide what's right for you all...

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K.B.

answers from Houston on

Hi Candace-

We did not bank our first 2 childrens cord blood but did bank our third. With our first 2 I think it was available but just not widely known and so we didn't really even think about it. With our third it was more common so we had more information about it and decide to do it. We look at it like an added insurance policy. You hope you never have occasion to need it, but if it turns out that it could help him at some point we'll be glad we had it.

Good luck and congratulations on the new baby,
K.

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A.S.

answers from Odessa on

Hello C.,
I did not go through and read all the responses so forgive me if i'm repeating anything. Cord blood banking is a wonderful thing to do, although it is very pricey. If you can afford to bank cord blood, then I say go for it. If you cant then thats fine to. If there is a health issue, your baby is just as likely to find a match from people who donate. If you want to participate in donating cord blood it's FREE! I did not find this out until after I had my son. I did not bank my sons cord blood due to funds, but my next child I will donate. I hope this helps!

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