Cord Blood Banking - Dayton,OH

My sister and her husband decided to do this because of a family condition on her husband's side that actually claimed the life of his brother. They felt that it was important for them to take all precautions they could now for their son 'just in case' something horrible would come up. As for the cost, she asked that instead of baby shower gifts that family members help cover the costs and make a donation online. Many people helped out, and she ended up getting a large portion of it covered that way.

What Cord Blood Banks don't tell you is that after a while (I'm not sure on the exact numbers) it "expires". Blood isn't good forever. It does expire. The better alternative would be to just donate it to your local public cord blood bank. That way it doesn't go to waste, and you don't waste your money. http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jan07cordbloodfaq.htm

I just did some research, some places will tell you cord blood can be stored for 15 yrs., but no one knows for sure, if it keeps the viability or not. So you'd have to pay those fees for 15 yrs., that will get expensive. The site I listed is a great source of information.
Good luck with your decision!

I am such an advocate for cord blood banking!!! Yes it is expensive in the first hit around $2000 if you are able to pay that in full thats awesome. My husband and I are having our first child and there is no way we can pay it in full, all the cord blood registries I have researched have different payment rate plan options. Usually it isn't best to pick the very cheapest one, because it is usually through a 3rd party credit line. We picked the next one up, which is about 160 a month for the first year, then just a yearly storage fee of around 200. I just don't think I can put a price on the medical safety of my family. I have done a ton of research on the different cord blood registries and we have decided to go with Viacord, they are the only one that is FDA approved for their collection kits, and freezing methods, with them you receive a lot more assurance of the viability of your cord blood, and if for any reason you have to have a c-section, their collection kit is the only one again FDA approved for that. They are also the leading company doing research on the benefits of cord blood. Which I am assuming you are already aware of, it is unbelievable that saving my cord blood now, could save the life of me, my husband, my child, other relatives, and any future children. I think every mother who could possibly do it should save their cord blood!! I am not really into donating my cord blood, cord blood cells, just like marrow and so on have to be matched to the right person, so just because I donate my cord blood doesn't mean that later on in life if I or my family need it there will be any for us to use. Also a main misconception that unless people in your family are sick or have ever been sick you don't need it, is entirely false. Cord blood cells can save a heart after a heart attack or injury, the can save a brain after trauma to the head, and most of all when the rare tragedy of cancer or leukemia even in babies and children, it can be put in a successful remission!! Lol I am in med school to become a doc, and this is a topic I am most passionate about if you can't tell!!

I didn't do this for my daughter but unless there is someone in your family that "needs" it now it probably isn't worth it. I would suggest when your child is born to wait to cut the umbilical cord till it stops pulsing so your child gets that blood instead of having it wasted by just being thrown away with the placenta. Hope that makes sense if not I'm sorry I'm tired lol

I didn't do it, I talked to my OB about it and my Ped. doc about it while I was pregnant. Both of them said pretty much the same thing. Unless there is a major family history of disease, or you have been genetically tested and found that there's a high chance your child will have this, the chances of it actually helping are very small. My OB doc. said that he had 4 kids, he, being a doctor, recieved a 50% discount of cord saving and he still did not see the benefit in it.

We decided against it. I researched it and learned that it can only be stored effectively so long. Then it can't be used anymore. It was 15-18 years. Most children don't get seriously ill. If it lasted to adulthood, I'd have done it. Also, if your child is the one who needs it, there is a high chance it won't work for them, because it could carry the disease too. It works best for siblings. Also, research the diseases your child is apt to get that the cord blood would be able to help treat. Just say a prayer that you won't need it and save your money.

Unless there is a specific disorder in your family that would require the blood later on in life, it's really not necessary. Donating it is a much much better option. Here's some information from the AAP:

Cord blood donation should be discouraged when cord blood stored in a bank is to be directed for later personal or family use, because most conditions that might be helped by cord blood stem cells already exist in the infant’s cord blood (ie, premalignant changes in stem cells). Physicians should be aware of the unsubstantiated claims of private cord blood banks made to future parents that promise to insure infants or family members against serious illnesses in the future by use of the stem cells contained in cord blood. Although not standard of care, directed cord blood banking should be encouraged when there is knowledge of a full sibling in the family with a medical condition (malignant or genetic) that could potentially benefit from cord blood transplantation.