cord blood banking

[ez]

any one done / thinking of doing this?

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I have heard of this, but did not do it with DD. Instead we just let her stay attached to the umbilical cord until all the blood was in her.

 

[mtemm]

we thought about it, but the expense was too much. we also considered donating it, but unfortunately we weren't able to since we had twins.

I think its wonderful if you can do it, especially if there is a family history of need.

 

[dmfuru]

I've donated twice. Would have donated more if I had been informed about it when my older ones were born.

I think all pregnant ladies should informed of this so they can either choose to store or donate the cord blood.

 

[winniedapooh]

Donated when DD now 6 was born. They did not do this when my others were born.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

A dear friend of mine banked her 3rd child, boys cord blood. Her 2nd child had a bone marrow transplant already and they said this is her best bet if she ever relapses again. He is a perfect match. Her older sister did not match and neither did anyone in her family. Her donor was a man from maryland I believe. I guess if you could financially afford it, it might be a good idea.

 

[Kermit]

We were going to do it, as autoimmune disorders are very common in my family, which greatly increases our possible need for organ transplants in the future. Unfortunately, every woman in the county had a baby the same day I did, and the doctor was unable to fill out all the pages of paperwork necessary to send in the blood. We got the blood, but we never sent it in. We lost about $200-$300 just getting the kit. I don't think we're going to try it with this baby. It was too much hassle. You're responsible for finding a way to ship that blood as soon as the baby is born, and it may not be during regular business hours. Jacob was born on January 1st, so I think everything would have been closed anyway.

 

[Blondie]

We see very little cord blood banking done. Don't know if it's because they aren't interested or don't want to go through the hassle. I thought we'd see more of it, but we don't.

 

[Davids-Coco]

I did a huge research paper on this... and I do think that it is a good idea if you can afford it. It is especially good because you will be able to take care of your needs later. For example, when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, they looked for a match and had metioned that if they could find cord blood that matched, it would be better than me or my father's siblings could give. But obviously, they didn't do that when he was little. The only downfall is that because it is still a fairly new idea, storing it for long amounts of time is costly.

 

[JoenAdamnErinnSam]

We receive cord bloods every day-don't know what's up with the kits-I just receive the blood in the lab-maybe my hospital is more geared to handling them(I just get the blood in tubes-like all the other specimens)I have no idea what the ratio of cord bloods to actual births is though-we only get the specimens on babies in trouble, other than the cord bloods.

 

[crz4mm2]

The state of Illinois made it a law that all women be offered the opportunity to donate their baby's cord blood. I have collected quite a few since the first of the year. I have had a couple of women save their baby's blood for possible own use. The donation of cord blood in Illinois is FREE for the parents. If they want to save for own use, of course they must pay for that.
I think that cord blood/stem cell research is a wonderful thing. I think that many medical conditions will be cured or helped with stem cells.
There is quite a lengthy bit of paperwork to be filled out. If the Mom doesn't have it done ahead of time, it is almost impossible to do it during labor. It is also pretty restrictive as far as prior medical conditions and also tatoos or blood transfusions. We still offer it to all. I talk about it to all my patients during pregnancy. If they are interested, I give them the paperwork to fill out so we will have that done ahead of time.
Oh, yes, there are several different companies that offer cord blood banking, so the above may not apply to all.
I would do it if I were having babies now.

 

[lucysdad]

When I first read about this I felt great remorse that our daughter was born too soon for the opportunity to someday save her life or the life of someone else. But, Lucy is only 5. If the previous poster had the option when her child was born and her child is 6, then I am angry. For all the money we spent, couldn't the doctors have informed us of the procedure? Golly, let's just hope that Lucy'll never need it.
Lucy's Mom