Umbilical Cord Blood Bank

Cord blood banking? Help?

we are having a baby boy in march and have the financial means to do cord blood banking. do you think that it is a good idea or another fad.. please give us your imput

Public Comments

1. It really couldn't hurt. But the thing about cord blood banking is that if the baby has an illness that is hereditary then it doesn't do any good because the illness is in its cord blood. But if he develops a new illness down the road then yes it is totally worth the money, plus it can also cure siblings. And cord blood can be used to grow organs that can become damaged. I would defiantly do it.
2. Umbilical cord blood is rich in those controversial stem cells. Stem cells, unlike any other type of cells, have the ability to differentiate into cells in its immediate area. For example, stem cells introduced into the brain will become brain cells and so on. The advantage here is two fold: they arent embryonic stem cells and your baby owns them. So, in the event of something going wrong in the future, you have them available. If corb blood banking is a fad, it sure is a much more viable option than freezing grampa when his cancerous prostate does him in. Good Luck
3. If you have the financial means to do cord banking, then go for it! You have nothing to lose (except money), and if god forbid, anything happens in the long run to your child, you will have the cord blood saved. I would have done it but we didn't have the money. Stem cell research is not a fad, and I really don't understand why it has caused so much controversy. Good luck with your baby boy!
4. I personally think it is a total waste! Who is to say these business will be able to keep their doors open for all the years to come? your money may go to waste. plus what if your child never ever needs it? Again wasteful. I would use the money to spoil your child rotten! I don't personally know anyone who has ever done this. when my first son was born we were going to do it as donation (where it is donated for science, but then that company went under and lost funding from what i understood). But this whole business of keeping it frozen is silly to me since you never know what the future is going to hold. Plus medicine has advanced so much just in the last 10-15 years. Think about how much further it is going to go!
5. I now hand out a pamphelet to all of my patients about cord banking. I tell them it is like any other insurance. If you have it and need it, it is great to have. If you have it and never use it, oh well. Stem cell research is in its infancy. I really wish I would of done it with our last child. If you can afford the $1700 or so I would do it. I was first really introduced to it about 5yrs ago when I collected cord blood for a patient who had a 3yr old with leukemia. That blood has since been use to help him. Look into all of the companies and not just Cbr. Rick MD