I was getting tons of emails from Cord Blood companies after I entered a few sweepstakes for free baby stuff. So, no wonder I thought it was a scam when I first heard of Cord Blood companies. After studying the companies and their services I became intrigued. First, I thought what an excellent business. The cord blood is collected from the disposable umbilical cord immediately after birth. Second, there is zero risk to mom or baby as the stem cells from the blood are collected after the baby is born and the cord is cut. The stem cells in the umbilical cord blood are a perfect match for the baby in the event they might be needed down the road. Currently, there are 70-80 diseases that can be helped with stem cells from the cord blood.
There are two major choices when deciding to collect cord blood. First, do you want to donate it or preserve it for your own baby. Next, which company do you want to pay to collect and preserve the stem cells? The two major cord blood companies in the US are Cord Blood Registry and ViaCord. After plenty of research and a few phone calls we decided to go with Cord Blood Registry http://www.cordblood.com/?fbid=gXLSb42HYRE . The prices of the two companies were very similiar with maybe $100 difference. I asked for a better discount and received an extra $250 off just for asking. In addition, we paid for 18 years of storage and saved an extra $400. When it was all done and said we both agreed that we hope to God we never need it but if we did, we’ll have it.
I would love to hear your thoughts on cord blood collection!
Tags: baby, cord blood, insurance
4 Comments
Hi Brandy, I was so excited to read your blog about banking cord blood. I would like to take a minute to share my daughters story with you. My little girl Chloe was born the picture of health. We were so happy to have a healthy child and even happier with the decision that we had made to save her cord blood.
At about nine months old we began to notice that Chloe ws not meeting all the milestones expected of her. When it was time for her to crawl she would sit on her bottom, wrap her right leg behind her and bounch accross the floor. At her 1yr check up the Doc ordered a CT scan…our worst nighmares became a reality. We learned that Chloe had suffered a stroke sometime very early in my pregancy, leaving her with cerebral palsy. There are no words to describe our feelings of complete helplessness and hurt.We were told that she was almost totally paralyzed on her rt side and may always be. She would face the next 17 to 18 yrs in therapy with no promises as to what the future held for her.
A few months later, thaks to Cbr, we learned of a study being done at Duke university. There the doc was reinfusing kiddos with their own cord blood in an attempt to reverse the effects of cerebral palsy. As fast as I could, I got her into the study and she recieved her reinfusion on May 27th, 2008. I am so happy to tell you, that as of today she is no longer paralyzed, is mainstreamed in school, rides a bike, skis, runs, jumps and the list goes on. I invite you to visit http://www.youtube.com/cordbloodmom1 to see where Chloe statred and where she is today. Please let me know your thoughts after you see her story and please feel free to pass the link on. It has become my lifes mission to educate expectant moms out there about cord blood banking and make sure these little babies are protected. Thank you again for posting your blog, it really is awesome! Congrats on your new little one, my son will arrive in July as well. We are so excited!
Best wishes,
Jenny Levine
Hi Jenny, Thanks for sharing your story! I’m so happy that Chloe is healthy and happy. Congrats on your upcoming birth. Cheers to you and your family.
fascinating!