My son as a newborn
In less than six weeks, we’ll be holding our precious baby girl in our arms. This pregnancy has definitely been easier in so many ways. Instead of debating over which car seat is safest or whether or not a trendy stroller is worth the investment, we’re busy preparing for the holidays and staying active with our little boy. We’re less stressed about what we do and don’t need, how we’ll know when I’m in labor, and how we’re going to survive the first few weeks.
There was however, one important decision that we struggled with. Should we bank our baby girl’s cord blood, just like we did with our son. In all honesty I had already decided, within myself, that we were going to do it. Not just because we did it with my son. Not just because my OB told me it was important to do so. And not just because I have a friend I went to high school with who ended up having to use her baby’s cord blood as a donor for her daughter, who was diagnosed with Leukemia. All of those reasons played a role in the decision process. I did research online and spoke to Oncology nurses at the hospital I worked at.
Banking your child’s cord blood is not an easy decision. For many parents, the complexity of the subject combined with the price can be a deterrent. And I believe that many parents have questions about what cord blood is and why they should bank it. Simply put, cord blood banking involves the collection and storage of stem cells found in the umbilical cord of a newborn (Viacord). While most people know that the stem cells obtained can be used to treat diseases like Leukemia, there are nearly 80 other diseases that can be treated with cord blood stem cells. In the US, less than 10% of parents do anything with their cord blood. Many parents do not even know that they can actually do something valuable with it.
What was difficult about the decision this time around, was convincing my husband how important this was for our baby girl, our son, and our family as a whole. Naturally, cost was a concern. But more so, my husband didn’t quite understand why we needed to do it again, since we had already banked one child’s cord blood.
One question my husband struggled to understand, was why it was important for each child to have his/her own cord blood banked. Researchers are actively conducting studies on how cord blood can be used to treat diseases like Type 1 Diabetes and Cerebral Palsy. In these studies, a child’s own cord blood (as opposed to a sibling’s) is required for the transplant. This is just one compelling fact that helped my husband and I make this decision and understand why it is just as important for a child to have his/her own cord blood available for use, as it is for potential use for a sibling. Diseases such as Leukemia can be treated with stem cells from another donor (i.e. a sibling) not afflicted with the disease. Siblings are often the perfect match. Many parents have shared their stories of how banking their baby’s cord blood gave them hope for what was a very somber diagnosis.
[My husband’s perspective] Our decision to bank cord blood was not an instant determination. It took quite a bit of research and thought to figure out that this was the right thing to do for our family. The idea of our children suffering from Leukemia or some other horrible disease is frightening. But cord blood banking gave us some peace of mind, knowing that at least there is a possible answer to such difficult circumstances. I don’t regret it for one second!
With that decision made to bank our first child’s cord blood, we now found even more questions to answer: How much is this going to cost? Who should we consider? What happens after its all said and done? These questions are not easily answered! There are many companies out there and it was hard to differentiate between them all. As most people would be inclined to do, we did let price weigh in. This isn’t a small investment. But honestly, price is the last thing we needed to consider. The important factors, like company longevity, customer service and quality standards are actually the critical elements to consider. You’re making an investment into the future of your child’s health and some of the smaller companies may not last or get bought out. Also, do they have good reviews by other parents? You have questions, the company should gladly have answers! As we discovered, the actual process of collection is simple, but choosing a company is more complicated. You need to talk to your doctor to make sure their team is up to speed on the collection process. Does your hospital have certain stipulations about cord blood banking? Who do they recommend (or allow). Where and how should you store the kit until the baby comes? And does the company appear to have strong safety and quality standards for processing the cord blood, a critical element to preserving it for the years to come?
No parent imagines hearing that their child has been diagnosed with cancer or a severe genetic disorder. The stem cells obtained from your baby’s cord blood have the potential to be life-changing. If you are a parent, struggling with the decision to bank your baby’s cord blood, I highly encourage you to ask questions and seek out resources to make the best decision for your family. Here are a few resources to get you started:
Why Bank your Child’s Cord Blood?
I hope you’ll join me as I continue my series on cord blood banking. Some of the topics I’ll be exploring include the differences between public and private banking, how to choose a reputable private company, and our experience throughout the process. I’ll leave you with one last thought. Many parents simply don’t have the information necessary to make this type of decision. Nine out of ten parents do not bank their newborns cord blood (either privately or publicly), and it gets disposed of as medical waste. I challenge you to obtain as much information as you can to make the best decision for you and your family.
Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for this post. I did receive a discount courtesy of Viacord, cord blood banking.
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Great post! Thanks so much for sharing how you feel about this subject. We dont have kids yet but it’s definitely a subject the hubs & I have discussed. We’re all for it & it’s great to know that there are other people out there who feel the same 🙂
Good information. We did not do this with either of our kids. It’s all water under the bridge at this point, but we did have a discussion about it at the time and we just decided not to. One point is that once the decision is made, that’s it. You don’t get a second chance.