Cord Blood Banking

We used cord blood registry for all 3 of our kids. Collection and shipping went smoothy every time. Ask your friends who collected...most likely if you go with one of the companies they used and give their name, they will get a free year of storage for their account. I work at an OB/GYN office and I felt like I researched and researched. Honestly, I didn't find that much of a difference in the long run. They may collect differently (each claiming their way is the best) but I found that the bottom line is how the cells are stored, and I didn't find that much of a difference. Prices can play a part for you...it is ok to go with the cheaper company! Ask your OB which company he/she is comfortable with, they may have an opinion on the matter. Good Luck and congratulations for making the decision to store...but hopefully it is a waste of time and money for you, I wouldn't want you to ever need it for your new baby after all!

We have used Viacord for both of our kids and plan on doing it for out third as well! They are amazing and great customer service!

I think that Lifebank is excellent.

http://www.lifebankusa.com/

I used Viacord, and am very happy with them.

The two top ones seem to be viacord and CBR. We just had our second child and we went with CBR for both of the kids.

I compared all of the statistics from the various companies (their successes, storage issues, etc.) and ViaCord won. I am not sure how useful stored cord blood is now, but who knows what advances will be made in the next 10-20 years. Like life insurance, you don't even want to think about using it - but you still have it just in case. And I am not sure I agree with the person who said that your baby won't be able to use his own cord blood/stem cell and that it is only good for siblings - that was not my understanding. And btw, viacord made the collection and the process in the hospital VERY easy. Best.

Hi P.,

We banked our babies' blood as well through Viacord. I have no idea how they compare to other 'banks', and I'm not sure if one is better than the other, but you may ask your OBGYN as they work with them all the time. Hope this helps.

R.

Cord blood is a source of controversy-free stem cells. They can turn into whatever type of cells they need to be, depending on where they are put in the body, so they can be used for your child, or any other child (related or not) whose blood matches your child's.(It's not true that your child can't use his/her own banked blood).

My advice would be to look at your family's medical history (yours and your husband's) and see if anyone has had any unusual diseases (mostly childhood diseases since there is no guarantee that the cord blood will be usable past 10 years or so). If that is the case, then I would bank the blood.

But if there is no specific instance of a problem, then I would not pay to bank it. It adds up to thousands of dollars that you could be saving for your baby's college tuition and if you don't end up needing it (and probably 99% never do) it's a waste of money.

What I would do instead is donate your cord blood to a blood bank. I decided to do that and I felt good knowing that another child out there could benefit from the cord blood we donated.

One thing to be aware of, no matter what way you choose, is you have to make sure you speak to your OB about it beforehand because in some cases they have to make special arrangements for someone to be there to collect the cord blood. Not all hospitals have someone on site to collect it. Check into this with your hospital to be sure they participate.
Here is a link with more information:
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Cord_Blood_Share_Life/i...

Hi P.,
I would consider donating the cord blood instead of storing it. If your child got sick, you would not be able to use his/her own cord blood to help them, it can really only be used if a sibling gets sick and that's still only if they are a match. You are more likely to find a match from a public bank, which is why it is important to donate. Good Luck with your choice!

We went with VIA Cord for our tow childen. The service on phone and with the hospital was very good. We found they do top research and store the blood as well.