Did you opt to store umbilical cord blood?

[jupiterfruitcake]

I think I'm going to to do it, but I don't know which company to use. Did any of you opt for this, and if so, what company did you use and why? Thanks!

[catkrazy99]

No, I didn't do it. I didn't really know much about it at the time.

[EzrasMom]

I don't have genetic problems in my family, so I don't store cord blood. But I do donate it for research. Just Google "donate cord blood." It's much needed!

[madelsmama]

I was considering it for a time, as my aunt was in need of a stem cell transplant, but found that the baby was too distant a relative to her, so we did not bank. We were looking at Cord Blood Registry. Here is the link that was convincing to me: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/T012700.asp

In the end, I decided to put into my birth plan to refrain from clamping the cord for 2 minutes after delivery (it's usually done immediately), to allow DD2 to get all her blood back into her system. Here is the research on that issue: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/117/4/e779
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060618224104.htm

Good luck with your decision!

[mandi]

I did decide to do it. I chose CBR (cord blood registry). Just so you know, you should make sure someone in the delivery room knows how to use the kit. The midwife who delivered my son didn't know what to do, said she did, and in the end, didn't get the cord blood. She locked the needle making it impossible to collect the blood. I was very upset about it. I had decided to collect the cord blood when I was only 3 months pregnant. I hope everything goes better for you!

[jupiterfruitcake]

Thanks guys!

We did end up going with CBR as well.

Mandi- thanks for the advice. I will definitely make sure everyone knows what to do.

[socalmom]

We just had our second child, Noah, and also banked his cord blood. We ended up using Family Cord Blood Services because their cost was a lot more reasonable than CBR and some other cord blood banks. Also they’re owned by doctors and aren’t a big corporation so they just felt better. They have all the licensing and accreditations and their lab and storage and everything is all in the same location. It is important for all the licensing and endorsements because you do want a lab that is safe and practicing along with the industry standards.

On top of it all because Noah was born in a nearby hospital to Family Cord Blood Services, they had someone straight from the facility come to pick up Noah's cord blood within hours of delivery and we didn't have to use a medical courier for pick-up. It felt good that we were in good hands.

If we have more kids down the road, we may donate but I’m hearing from friends that it’s not so easy to do.

[kohlby]

I am seriously considering it this time. If I do it, I'll use Xytex. (Not positive on that spelling). I chose them because the storage facility is the next city over, and only a mile from the hospital I'll give birth at. I like the idea of being able to walk in and talk to a person if needed. I looked into it when my first was born - but it cost a lot more then and the uses were limited. A sibling has a 25% chance of a perfect match and even partial matches can be used. So, banking it this time could help either of my other kids.

There aren't any genetic disorders that I know of in my family. There wasn't even a single case of any type of cancer anywhere in my family's or DH's - until he had testicular cancer himself a few months ago. I'm not sure if that increases the chance of other types of cancer in our kids or not. But it definately opened our eyes up to having cancer come completely out of the blue in a perfectly healthy person with an excellent family history.

[AmericordRegistry]

I work for Americord 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