Cord Blood Banking - Norwalk, CT

Hey mom,

I didn't do it with any of my boys because it was too expensive, but if you can afford it DO IT.

Especially if you have a family history,

Good luck

M

After researching the options, we opted to donate our daughter's cord blood. It's a great option. I started the process late and almost didn't get my kit in time, so if you decide this is the way to go, start calling early to find out the process!

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.

we did it, we used viacord. i copied off my doc, thats who he used for his babies. he told me that they are the only one that is also a reasearch facility, so they have more financial backing and stability, plus he is happy to support them. i dont know if they are still the only one or not, this was 4 years ago. they had lots of payment options that made it do-able for us. good luck and congrats on your upcoming baby!

Hi C.,

I agree with Anne. Cord Blood Banking is a business, for profit. There is such a minute chance that you would need this blood for anything and you are better off putting that money into a college fund for your child. The AAP does not recommend doing it, none of the pediatric organizations do - ads that you see in magazines feature doctors who are PAID to endorse cord blood banking.

Hi C.,

Cord Blood banking is really a wonderful thing to have available for your baby, especially if your family has a history of illnesses. My only suggestion to you would to find a bank that fits your expectations, as well as your budget. Some can be unnecessarily expensive as it is some what new.

Good luck on your first pregnancy and birth!
Warmly,
C.
Birth Doula CD(DONA)
www.gentle-birth-doula.com

Hi C.,

We did not bank our older two boys' cord blood because everyone we asked, including doctors at the time, said it wasn't worth it. In the past few years though, I have several friends who may have benefited from banking their children's cord blood. The list of diseases that cord blood has been shown to possibly have a positive effect on has grown by something like over 90 in the past few years. Some people will say that it isn't worth it because it won't help the child it was taken from but so much research is still to be done on the topic, who is to say what will be discovered over the years? I see this is your first too so if you plan on having other children, this baby's cord blood could very well help the next child if heaven forbid something happens.

For our third child, we banked his cord blood and it was absolutely worth it to us. The collection cost was less than for most companies, they paid the doctor's collection fee, their kit is very easy (according to our hospital who was very happy to hear we had chosen them), they took care of courier cost all we had to do was call after delivery and the courier was there within an hour and a half which is very important, etc.

I connected with another mom on here who had been asking about cord blood banking and I called one of the agents who helped me at the company we went with. She gave me a code to give the other mom to save her money off the collection fee and doing so the mom gave credit to me which gave me a year of storage for free. It was a win/win situation for both of us and now she can rest comfortably knowing her family is protected if something happens.

If you want me to get a code for you, just let me know. I'd be happy to help. I firmly believe in this now and looking back I wish I had done it sooner. To me it's worth the low storage fee a year "just in case".

Best of luck,
L.

Hi C.,

Congrats on your 1st pregnancy and best of luck. I banked with both my 3 y.o and 10 month old. I have been to many seminars for Viacord, CBR, Cryocell, and Stork Medical. Many people have not heard of Stork, but I would suggest anyone with a military connection check them out because they give discounts for military personnel and donate to the military as well. I chose Viacord with my 1st and CBR with my 2nd. If anything happened to one of the banks I didn't want to lose both samples! We had enough money saved to cover the initial cost of one collection and was able to pay for the next with a 6 month payment plan. I would just feel extremely guilty if it was needed later in their lives and I chose not to do it!!
Good luck with everything,
J.

for my second child, I decided to do public storage which is free and you can use it if it's still available. If not, they find the closest match. It was quick and easy. If you decide to do private storage, I recommend calling a hair client of mine, michelle mesbah, a nurse that works for life line cryogenics. It is like viacord but viacord is an arm and a leg and i personally didn't go with them because it was way too expensive. Her contact info is cell: ###-###-####. Or email ____@____.com. I wish I met her earlier. She is really very sweet and very knowledgable. Good luck! And enjoy your newborn!

Everyone we consulted told us to think of it as an insurance policy. We banked with CBR. I know someone that banked and used it for their son and saved his life. I was able to afford it, so I would have felt guilty if I didn't do it. I had looked into donating with a public bank, but unfortunately there are no banks available in my area. Good luck in your decision

My sister is a Dr of pediatric oncology. When I was pregnant and wanted to bank my cord blood I consulted her. She said that banking was really wasting your money. The cord blood can be given to any blood type so your child does not have to have his own cord blood to use if there were a medical reason that required it. It is better to Donate your cord blood to an organization that anyone can use. There are many organizations out there so take a look on the web and check with the hospital that you are delivering at. Contact them as soon as possible because there are a few things that need to be done by your doctor by the 32nd week of pregnancy. If you pass that date they will not take your donation. We had that happen with my third pregnancy and were not able to donate the cord blood. Good luck and enjoy your pregnancy !!

Don't do it! Remember that whatever a cord blood bank says, they are a FOR PROFIT BUSINESS. If you want to put your cord blood to good use, donate it to a public bank to help someone who needs it NOW.

Here is what the American Academy of Pediatrics has to say on the subject:

'Families may be vulnerable to emotional marketing at the time of birth of a child and may look to their physicians for advice. No accurate estimates exist of the likelihood of children to need their own stored cells. The range of available estimates is from 1:1000 to 1:200,000. Empirical evidence that children will need their own cord blood for future use is lacking. There also is no evidence of the safety or effectiveness of autologous cord blood transplantation for the treatment of malignant neoplasms. For these reasons, it is difficult to recommend that parents store their children's cord blood for future use.'

Also keep in mind that the AAP again, in a 2007 policy statement on cord blood banking titled Cord Blood Banking for Potential Future Transplantation, stated that 'private storage of cord blood as "biological insurance" should be discouraged.'

(autologous=donating to yourself; malignant neoplasm=cancer)

It is very expensive, but my husband and I thought of it like an insurance policy. (Yes, insurance companies are for-profit companies too, but if you need them, the services/value far outweigh the initial cost.) The AAP can not in good faith endorse it because the vast majority of parents can not afford it, and the likelihood of needing the banked cord blood is extremely small. Cord Bank Registry and Viacord are the two largest and most reputable companies which my OB recommended. There really should be a national registry of banked cord blood, but there is not (at least when I did the research 2 years ago), and that is a big political issue....

The Community Blood Bank in Paramus, NJ could give you all the info you need. If you decide not to bank it for your own use - please donate it. Allow the collecting agency to harvest the blood, it could save another child's life.

Have a great preg., I.J.