Cord Blood

Should You Bank Cord Blood?
childbirth

Why I Didn't Bank My Children's Cord Blood

One of the many questions a pregnant mom is likely to be asked by her doctor before she has the baby is whether she wants to bank or donate cord blood after the birth.
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One of the many questions a pregnant mom is likely to be asked by her doctor before she has the baby is whether she wants to bank or donate cord blood after the birth. "I've been thinking about this for months now. I'm having my first child, and I wanted to bank because I thought it was [a] cool and beneficial idea. However, if I'm having a healthy baby is it necessary? Should I just donate?" asks Circle of Moms member Ashley B. 

Cord blood is helpful in transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and many other life-threatening diseases, according to the National Marrow Donor Program.

Despite the life-saving opportunities, however, I decided to forgo banking or donating my children's cord blood when they were delivered. Here are five reasons why.

Baby Teeth Banking
Poll

Would You Bank Baby Teeth For Stem Cells?

Forget the tooth fairy: some baby teeth are going straight to the bank.
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Forget the tooth fairy: some baby teeth are going straight to the bank. The potentially lifesaving properties of collecting and storing umbilical cord blood are well documented, and cord blood isn't the only place to collect those miracle-working stem cells. The National Institutes of Health reported that baby and adult teeth also contain a type of stem cell. As a result, some parents are choosing to have the contents of the teeth cryogenically frozen and then stored.

The process isn't cheap: approximately $600 dollars for the initial extraction (parents can't just wait for the teeth to fall out; they need to be pulled out by a dentist) and then around $100 annually for storage. That's a lot to go through, physically and financially, for something that no one is sure has practical use. Dr. John Kessler, a neurologist with Northwestern Medicine, said, "There is virtually no medical or scientific rational for a parent doing this. It's to make the parents feel guilty about doing something, which is never going to help the child. It is not the right type of stem cells. There will be other sources of stems cells available."

Cord Blood Banking
Health and Fitness

Public or Private: How Much Do You Know About Cord Blood Banking?

Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs aren't the only banks who've been awash in controversy over the past few years.
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Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs aren't the only banks who've been awash in controversy over the past few years. Scientific breakthroughs related to the lifesaving potential of collecting and storing umbilical cord blood has resulted in an explosion of a whole new industry: cord blood banking. While most medical professionals and organizations are proponents of storing the super blood, there is far from a consensus about the nature of the storage and whether it should be public or private.

Take the following quiz to test your knowledge of the important topic, and let us know where you stand on the issue.

Take the Quiz
Baby Teeth and Stem Cells
teeth

Life Saving Stem Cells Found in Baby Teeth

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Your child's baby teeth may be worth more than money from the tooth fairy.
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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy


Your child's baby teeth may be worth more than money from the tooth fairy. New research shows that baby teeth contain some of the same potentially life-saving stem cells as the cord blood that new parents bank upon their children's births. The use of tooth stem cells has only been tested in animals, but researchers say that the 10-20 stem cells each tooth can provide may be the key to curing many life-threatening ailments. Last year, 40 percent of lilsugar readers said they would be willing to pay the thousands of dollars it costs to collect and store cord blood, but with the baby tooth option costing half of that, more moms and dads may be willing to test it out. Would you?

Tell Mommy: Did You Bank Your Baby's Blood?
Cord Blood

Tell Mommy: Did You Bank Your Baby's Blood?

An expectant mommy is faced with a sleuth of important decisions, but none so important as deciding whether or not to bank her babe's cord blood — the blood that remains in your baby's umbilical cord after it has been cut.
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An expectant mommy is faced with a sleuth of important decisions, but none so important as deciding whether or not to bank her babe's cord blood — the blood that remains in your baby's umbilical cord after it has been cut.

Preserving your newborn's cord blood to potentially treat life-threatening diseases (such as cancer) is gaining momentum. However, the use of stem cells remains controversial, expensive (popular cord blood banks charge around $2000, with a $125 yearly storage fee), and there is no way to tell if your baby (or another family member) will ever have a need for it. Even during these tough financial times, many parents are opting to dish out the dough in hopes that it could be vital in the event of medical need. Others are deciding against it due to finances or other reasons. Have you banked your baby's cord blood, or will you in the future? Or did you already decide against it?

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Would You Bank Your Newborn's Cord Blood?
Poll

Would You Bank Your Newborn's Cord Blood?

Last month, we discussed banking your newborn's cord blood to possibly help that child, or another relative, should they be afflicted by a life-threatening disease.
by babysugar

Last month, we discussed banking your newborn's cord blood to possibly help that child, or another relative, should they be afflicted by a life-threatening disease. The cost of privately banking the blood is upwards of $600 for the initial banking, which does not including the annual storage fees. So many people seek out public banks where they can donate the blood for the community to use as necessary.

The Today Show took on the subject last week and noted that cord blood is best used in siblings, and even then, there is only a one in four chance that the sibling will be a match.

Given all of this information, would you consider banking your baby's blood?

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Cord Blood Donation
Pregnancy

Wee Are the World: Cord Blood Donation

Keep the cord. If you're under 34 weeks pregnant, you may have the power to share life with someone other than your baby–to–be.
by babysugar

Keep the cord. If you're under 34 weeks pregnant, you may have the power to share life with someone other than your baby–to–be. By donating your newborn's umbilical cord after delivery, you give someone who has a life-threatening disease like leukemia, sickle cell anemia or lymphoma a chance to survive.

As a parent, you can pay to preserve your baby's cord blood at a private bank like ViaCord or Cord Blood Registry. For many parents, the price is out of the budget since some blood banks charge an initial fee upwards of $600 plus an annual storage payment. If you donate your cord blood to a public bank, it is free.

To learn about donating, read more