Umbilical Cord Blood Bank

Can someone please explain cord blood that has had experience with it?

Where do they keep the blood? How do you know its safe? How much does it cost? Why did you or didn't you choose cord blood banking? How do you know what company to bank with? How do they extract the blood? How soon do they need the cord?

Public Comments

1. thye keep it at there banking. in a freezer and ect. its only safe if you research the place, and its not dangerous. and it cost alot. you have to buy the kit then pay monthly to keep it safe and secure for you..($100rds for the kit.) i didnt choose it cuz it was expensive. band with a company uve researched and they get the blood from a needle a suck it out of the cord nd placenta right after u give birth!
2. When I looked it up through ViaCord and Cord blood registry, it was around $2000 to harvest the cord and about $125 to store it each year. I had really wanted to get it for our baby, but the expense is just too high when the insurance doesn't cover it at all. http://www.viacord.com/pricing-storage-plans.htm
3. The blood is kept in a freezer in their facilities Its safe medically because the cord is cut after birth and taken when its no longer a living part of mom or baby. Financially, do your research on the company, check the better business bureau or whatever your country has that is similar if you are not in the US. Most places charge an initial fee of about 2000 and then a couple hundred each year stored. Im not really sure how the extract it. Right after you have delivered the after birth and the cord is cut, they will take it and do what they do with it. I havnt had to make a choice on that yet as I have not been preg. However, I would choose to donate rather than privatly bank. I dont forsee me having that kind of money if/when the time comes. Also, my transplant to treat leukemia used donor cord blood from the public bank, so I feel like I want to give back. What you really need to evaluate is if you have medical chances of needing it. Do you have a family history of childhood leukemia or other diseases that a hematopoetic stem cell transplant could treat (bone marrow transplant... the same type of cells in the marrow are also in the cord blood, and primarily what cord blood is used for)? Do you know someone getting ready to go through the transplant that is in need of a donor? If you have the money, do it. If you dont have the extra money, talk with your doc to assess the risks of your child needing it and then make a decision to try to get the money or donate. You can get the info on how to donate from the National Marrow Donors Program. While free for you to do, it will involve leg work of registering for the donation ahead of delivery and things like that http://www.marrow.org