Cord blood?

[WaylonJennings]

Anyone know much about this? I'm seeing ads for it popping up all over the place, just a few days after a friend told me about it. Apparently, they save some of your newborns umbilical cord blood, freeze it somewhere and keep it there if ever needed to ... not sure after that.

Legit? Fraud? Anyone?

 

[Buck]

It's become a very popular cocktail mixer.

 

[mike311gd]

It's become a very popular cocktail mixer.

Thank God you'd never invite me to a party of yours.

 

[EStreetJoe]

If you go with the right company it is very legit as umbilical cord stem cells are at the forefront of new treatments. Umbilical cord blood is also a perfect match for your child should your child develop a treatable disease 5 years, 10 years or more after he/she is born.
We banked Baby E's blood with Viacord - http://www.viacord.com/

 

[slappy4428]

It's become a very popular cocktail mixer.

Thank God you'd never invite me to a party of yours.

Some day, it could grow Chef a new toe...

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

I wish I would have known about this a year ago. I'd have done it. Even if it doesn't work. I'm a sucker for my daughter.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

I liked the book Capote wrote about this.

 

[EStreetJoe]

I wish I would have known about this a year ago. I'd have done it. Even if it doesn't work. I'm a sucker for my daughter.

The main way we found out was our OB asking us about it during the second trimester. There was also the ads from all the cord blood banking companies in the pregnancy and baby magazines we looked at while Mrs. E was pregnant.

 

[times38]

We would've done it when my daughter was born a year and a half ago but it was just too expensive for us.

 

[BYH]

I liked the book Capote wrote about this.

BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

 

[fishwrapper]

Cord preservation can be beneficial to one of the parents, too.
Depending, of course, one blood type and if mom had to get a rhogam shot.

 

[Football_Bat]

I thought for a minute this thread was about an Asian murderer.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

I liked the book Capote wrote about this.

BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Thank you.
No, really.
You're too kind.
It's great to be back here...

 

[Lugnuts]

Quick post, I wish I had time to go into more detail. I really researched the snot out of this one and sought advice from several doctors.

The chances that your child or a sibling will use your child's cord blood are infinitesimal.

The chances that another sick child somewhere out there could use your child's cord blood are actually quite good.

Which is why the really cool thing to do is to donate the cord blood to a public bank (usually located at a hospital.)

The private cord blood banks like Viacord are strictly for-profit-- and here's a big key-- if you knew someone who needed your child's cord blood-- a friend's child, a cousin, someone across the country-- you could not give that cord blood away.

What's so sad is that the cord blood stored in those private banks cannot be gotten to by the sick kids that could really use it.

Those private banks specify that it is only for use in your immediate family.

On the other hand, the cord blood in public banks is a huge national database for any sick kid across the country who might need it.

If your child became sick with one of the diseases that cord blood currently helps, the chances are far greater that he/she would be helped by the blood donated in a public bank-- not what you'd have stored in the private bank.

This has been discussed at length over and over on my moms board, and two people posted that they knew a child whose life was saved by cord blood from a public bank. Nobody has ever posted that they knew somebody whose family was helped by cord blood in a private bank.

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This is a fairly new area of medicine, so the issue of cord blood donation is not "out there"... and the for-profit companies have the money and marketing to make it seem like the best option.

I also KNOW that some OB/GYNs get a little "kick back" from these private companies to put the marketing materials in their offices. I don't blame the OB/GYNs for this for several reasons, but mainly because private banking isn't a crime, nor is is a horrible option-- it's just not the best option for your child and the public good.

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How do you donate to a public bank?

It's no cost to you. Somebody will come and pick it up, but there are some hoops to jump through.

Also, the paperwork has to be done, I believe before 34 weeks of pregnancy. (That may have changed.) I found all this out at 36 weeks-- bummer.

This site, the National Cord Blood Donation Registry, should tell you everything you need to know.

http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Cord_Blood_Share_Life/Cord_Blood_Donation_FAQs/index.html

You can also Google "public cord blood donation" and find tons of information on public vs. private banking, and why the donation option isn't more "out there" as a choice.

Good luck with your decision and your baby!

 

[Ashy Larry]

I liked the book Capote wrote about this.

;D

my favorite book.

 

[WildBillyCrazyCat]

We recently banked Baby CrazyCat's cord blood, and went the private route.

In the end, we just liked the assurance that if she needs her blood, it's there for her. (As opposed to the public bank, where you have no guarantee of receiving your own back, which is the best match).

It cost us about $2K up front, and the annual fee is $125.

It was borderline too expensive. But at the same time, I thought that it's about the cost of a day in the hospital. If she is ever really sick, $2K is the least of my worries.

 

[Lugnuts]

In the end, we just liked the assurance that if she needs her blood, it's there for her. (As opposed to the public bank, where you have no guarantee of receiving your own back, which is the best match).

That's not true, and I'm sorry the private banks are making people believe this.

A child's own cord blood is almost never used on that sick child.

Reason being: Why would you want to use the blood of a child who got sick to repair the disease? You'd want to use the blood of a healthy child to help a sick child, which is exactly the way it works.

Usually the private banks' strongest argument is that siblings tend to be good matches. In other words, your healthy child's cord blood might be a good match for a future sibling who gets sick.

But it's nebulous.

I'm afraid the statistics just don't back up what you were lead to believe.

But I don't want to make people feel bad about their choice to privately bank, because again-- it doesn't seem to be a bad option.

I just wish more people understood the ramifications of public banking, how many lives it is saving, etc.

I understand some new legislation is aimed at doing that...

I just hope it's not lost in the recession.

 

[I Digress]

We did Viacord.. they keep losing track of us...but.. it was piece of mind as we're older parents....There are cheaper companies. Your doctor's office might not be the best referral, because they, as someone pointed out, get a kickback.

 

[Lugnuts]

Last post, I promise.

I wanted to add that neither the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) nor the American College of Obstetricians and Gynocologists (ACOG) recommend private banking.


http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-01-08-2.cfm

"Patients need to be aware that the chances are remote that the stem cells from their baby's banked cord blood will be used to treat that same child—or another family member—in the future," said Anthony R. Gregg, MD, chair of ACOG's Committee on Genetics. ACOG's Committee Opinion is a joint document produced by the Committee on Obstetric Practice and the Committee on Genetics.

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jan07cordblood.htm

Private cord blood banks target parents at an emotionally vulnerable time when the reality is most conditions that might be helped by cord blood stem cells already exist in the infant’s cord blood. However, the AAP does recommend private cord blood banking for parents who have an older child with a condition that could potentially benefit from transplantation, such as a genetic immunodeficiency.

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And finally, it took me awhile to find it, but here's an anecdote from my moms board.

"My 10 year old nephew was diagnosed in July with AML leukemia. His only chance for survival was a bone marrow transplant. No one in our family was a match so they went to the national donor list with no luck. They finally found donated cord blood that they used. His oncologist and transplant doctor said actually cord blood is best for his condition. He had his transplant the day after Thansgiving and is currently recovering. If not for this donation by nephew would not be with us. We were also told that his own banked cord blood would not have been used in this case."