Cord Blood Banking?

Hi ! I work for a cord blood bank and can give you the facts behind the over-promotion. See http://cordadvantage.com/cord-blood-blog/2011/5-straight-... to find 5 Straight Facts About Cord Blood ViaCord / ViaCell and Cord Blood Registry Won’t Tell You.

Christina ~
Wow! you got 2 really informative responses! I'm an OB nurse at a hospital. We most often see the kit from CBR that was already mentioned. From what I've been told, if you have a 2nd child that you use their service for, that one is discounted.
Yes...let your doctor know you are using the kit. Also, bring it with you to the hospital, and make sure your nurse knows. There are 2 vials of your blood that needs to be drawn and sent with the kit, and I usually try to draw it when the IV is started. However, not every patient tells us when they're admitted, so then mom has to be poked again.
Good luck!
D.

I looked into this while pregnant with my children. These companies are making a lot of money knowing that the chances of you needing the stem cells are rare. Plus, if your child does need them, there's a chance that it wouldn't work. Your child came from these particular cells, and in their body may behave just like the ones that are causing the problem to begin with. You may want to check into donating to a free bank. If you did ever need the cells, they can make a better match for you. Check out this website for more info.
http://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org/donation/public_v...

We've banked cord blood for both of our daughters. It's a bit costly upfront, but we pay only a little less EACH year for car insurance. When we think about the possibility that perhaps saving the stem cells could save either of their lives, it's well worth the extra expense. Even since we banked in 2007, SO many new discoveries and possible cures/treatments have been identified---we'll save these cells for life, so who knows what will be possible over each of their lives. I would hate to think either of them were to get sick & stem cells could be an answer yet we didn't bank them. We've banked with CBR both times and have been pleased with the service. They also offer a military discount or medical profession discount (and there may be others as well, so be sure to ask!). If your dr. charges for the kit, CBR will reimburse you--or just have the company send you the kit directly w/ no extra fees. We pay $125/year for storage until each daughter is 18, then legally the cells are theirs to maintain or do as they wish. We plan to pay for their storage as long as we can. Best of luck to you!

Hi Christina,

We banked the cord blood for our daughter. The research they are doing with the stem cells that are in the cord blood is very promising. For certain medical issues, the blood is helpful, but also is not 100% guaranteed. The theories about stem cells are very valid, and at this point the possibilites for cures for many medical issues seem endless. There is a lot of info about stem cells, cord blood, and their uses out on the net, and I would encourage you to research it a little bit before making a decision either way.

Usually you receive a kit in the mail that you must register for ahead of time - and notify your OB that you are doing this. You usually pay for the service up front, and if they are unable to collect the cells properly, you receive a refund. Then there is a yearly storage fee as well. This kit goes with you to the hospital and the doctors and nurses follow the instructions with the kit. Once it is complete, there is usually a phone number for a courier that you call, and they come and pick up the kit and deliver it to the cord blood registry or bank.

The facility you decide upon may be the type where it is available for your own use only. These are typically called Cord Blood Banks. You have to authorize anyone to be able to access your child's stem cells, and they typically become the property of the child at age 18. In other words, just like a real bank, what you have put in, is yours to take back out.

There are also cord blood banks which are public. These are typically called Cord Blood Registries. These work in that all of the characteristics are added to a database. If someone is in need of cells, they check the database for the best match to that person. These are sometimes cheaper than the cord blood banks.

There are pros and cons for each type - I'll list the registries first.

Pros - they are cheaper usually, families who were not able to bank their own cells may be able to be helped or cured from your childs cells

Cons - Your childs cells may be used for someone else, and if your child needs them later, they may be getting a less than 100% match.

Cord Blood Banks:

Pros - You are guaranteed access to your childs cells if and when they are needed, you know those cells are a 100% match, you will not be contacted later letting you know someone has used your cells and they may not be available for your use later

Cons - Usually much more expensive

Some people will make arguments about either case being the better option, but ultimately it is a decision you and your family have to make. Is it unethical to want your child to have the best possible opportunity for a cure if God forbid something happen later? Is it unfeasible to pay for the cost of the bank vs the registry? Is it more important that you could possibly help someone else if your childs cells never need to be used within your family?

It is a tough decision, and I wish you luck in deciding. In my case, we decided that we wanted the best possibility and opportunity for our child if something catastrophic should happen later in life. I knew I would not be able to live with myself if I did not bank her blood and she needs it later. Ultimately, my child's life is worth more to me than any amount of money they could ask me to pay - even if it is only a chance at a possible cure!

With my DD we decided we personally couldn't afford to bank the blood so we decided instead of letting it go to waste we'd donate it. One thing I have not seen mentioned is that some Dr.'s also charge a fee for collecting the cord blood when it is personal use and some even for donation. However many starts have laws stating that if you are donating it they can't charge you. But either way check with your Dr and make sure they aren't going to charge and if they do how much. This time I was going to donate it again as we still can't afford to back it however I started reading about delayed cord cutting. This means when my LO is born we will not cut for the cord right away (people choose different lengths of time 2 minutes, 10 minutes, and some go till the cord stops pulsating) meaning this very good cord blood is pumped back into the baby and they benefit from it now. Might be an option you want to look into as well. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Christina,

We didn't bank our 1st child's cord blood (wish we had) but we did for the second child. We paid a fee up front and they sent us the collection kit. After the baby is born they leave the placenta inside while they collect the cord blood. My husband said this was really cool to watch...ha ha! We used CBR and they had a time window of when they had to be there to pick up the package - you call them to let them know the package is ready. If I'm not mistaken they arrived at my room less than six hours later. It does get sent to the west coast for processing and storage. They will send you information concerning how much cord blood they were able to successfully retrieve (or maybe it's how many stem cells). The cool thing is they send you an official legal document (certificate) for your records detailing this information.

The stem cells are a best match to my son (the second child) and then I'm the next best match. Dad and siblings would be the next best match, etc. If there is a need for the stem cells then they can test to determine if they would be a match. From what I understand we have enough stem cells available to do several transfusions if ever needed.

We pay $100 per year for storage. With technology the way it is advancing we thought it was like our little insurance policy that we could access if we ever needed it. We wish we had done it for our first child.

I hope this helps. Good luck and congratulations!

I work in the healthcare field so I do know a bit about cord blood banking.. #1 it is expensive. not only is there a fee to bank the blood but then a yearly fee to maintain it. # 2.. you do not know if you or anyone will ever need the cord blood.

There are public cord blood banks.. and you can donate your cord blood to teh public bank. it is free. not every hosptial partipates.. ask your dr if the hospital participates.

I wouldnot pay money to bank the blood. I would donate mine.. but my hospital did not have a collection program .. so my cord blood was just medical waste.

Public banking is free and private banking costs a lot, but to me it's worth it. We did CBR for our daughter. I believe it was around $1500 for the banking and then $100 a year to keep it stored, however if you recruit someone else to bank, then they give you a free year. You can use the blood however you choose (for any child, for yourself, for any family member that's a match). Within an hour after your child is born, you call this number and a courier comes and picks up the cord and the placenta that your doctor will pack away in a box for you. The courier then flies the package to the bank in which it is stored for your use and your use only for however long you want it to be.

I gave birth in May 2008 & did the cord blood for our daughter. We used http://cordblood.com/. They were very helpful, answered any questions you might have, etc. I am not an expert on it at all, but wanted to do it because who knows what else it can be used for many years down the line. My DR did it for one of her kids but not all. If I wasn't doing it, I wanted to donate it...but only certain hospitals will offer that.

Their cost is $1875 (plus a couple of other smaller fees) & yealry $125 storage fee, but with a referral you can get $150 off. Plus, you can earn money towards storage fees with referrals. They do offer payment plans & if by chance they could not get enough cord blood, they will let you know & you don't pay. The Dr collects it & put it in a kit that is FedEx to storage site. CBR is in AZ. When you sign up with them they send you the kit & paperwork to fill out....you tell the Dr ahead of time you are doing that so they know & you bring it to the hospital. There is a number to call for them to come & pick up the package (or you can use your own carrier if you don't want to pay for their carrier)

https://www.cbrclients.com/MyAccount/SpreadTheWord.aspx has info benefits, etc. I did check on their website & it did say each child's cord blood is unique to them. But they mentioned to me before that it can be used for extended family as well...I guess if they were a match depending on what it was for.

Hope that helps! Any other questions just let me know. S.