Cord Blood banking

[SnDvls]

has anyone done this with their new born?

what have you heard about it good & bad?

the wife and I are thinking about doing this with our twins and wanted some more info/advice than what we've found on the net.

thanks

[Phalid]

Originally Posted by SnDvls

has anyone done this with their new born?

what have you heard about it good & bad?

the wife and I are thinking about doing this with our twins and wanted some more info/advice than what we've found on the net.

thanks

If the cost associated with storing the blood doesnt put an unnecessary financial burden on your family then I say why the hell not do it. Even if there is only a .01% chance that the stored blood will someday have an impact on the health on your children then its worth it.

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by Phalid

Even if there is only a .01% chance that the stored blood will someday have an impact on the health on your children then its worth it.

We did it with our three and a half month old for that very reason.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

We did it as well. There's nothing but good that can come from it assuming you're able to pay for it. It's honestly the best health investment you'll ever make.

[albionmoonlight]

If you choose not to do it privately, most (all?) states allow you to donate it. You will not personally have any access to it anymore, but it will go into the bank in case it can provide a match for someone else in the future. Better than allowing it to be discarded.

[sterlingice]

I've never even heard of this. What is it?

SI

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I've never even heard of this. What is it?

SI

Cord blood contains stem cells. If your child (or a sibling) contracts certain conditions, then the cord blood cells might be able to be used to treat/cure the conditions.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I've never even heard of this. What is it?

SI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_blood_banking

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I've never even heard of this. What is it?

SI

It's the process of collecting and storing umbilical cord blood after the birth. Why umbilical cord blood? Because it's one of the richest source of stem cells that can be used to treat a variety of diseases and ailments. The thought process is also that with future advances in medicine, the list of treatments for not only the donor, but also the donor's family members, will increase exponentially.

Here's the wiki on umbilical cord blood and here's the company we used: Cryo Cell

[SnDvls]

thanks guys this helps a lot

we didn't do this with our first child (just couldn't afford it then) but we can now and from what I'm reading the benefits to our first child along with other family on even just a 50% match far out weight the cost if it is needed.

Is this the same type of information you had heard as well. RE: 50% match and being able to help your other children along with even possibly yourself or spouse?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SnDvls

thanks guys this helps a lot

we didn't do this with our first child (just couldn't afford it then) but we can now and from what I'm reading the benefits to our first child along with other family on even just a 50% match far out weight the cost if it is needed.

Is this the same type of information you had heard as well. RE: 50% match and being able to help your other children along with even possibly yourself or spouse?

Yes, that's the information we were given as well. We have several doctors in our family and they all highly recommended it. There are obviously some concerns that it may not match or that you may never need it, but it's a gamble that can be very beneficial in the long run. After the inital cost, it's only around $125 a year. That's worth the cost IMO.

[Kodos]

What are the initial costs on this? My wife wants to do this, but she's saying the one she found is about $50 a month, which seems high.

[PackerFanatic]

It's expensive, for sure.

[flere-imsaho]

It's very expensive. We decided against it because the cost and % chance of it being unusable (i.e. it doesn't survive storage in a useful form) didn't outweigh the miniscule chance you'd actually use it.

However, this is an intensely personal decision. For some, the vanishingly small chance you'd need to use it is worth all the cost in the world.

We did, however, donate ours.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'll definitely be doing it if/when we have kids for the reason that Phalid said.

[Fidatelo]

Does cord blood deleverage? For example, if I put 1000 units of cord blood in a shoebox, will I find out later that it was only actually 100 units? Can I hope for a counterbalance?

[Fidatelo]

Dola

In a more serious manner, this sounds interesting and I'm going to be doing some research of my own thanks to this thread.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

but it's a gamble that can be very beneficial in the long run..

Despite the fact that its never actually been useful? All of the potential benefits in the brochure are hypothetical at best, science fiction at worst.

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

After the inital cost, it's only around $125 a year. That's worth the cost IMO.

To get nothing for that money?

It is, unequivocally, a scam.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Samdari

To get nothing for that money?

It is, unequivocally, a scam.

Very strong statement despite the fact that stem cells have some convincing science in their favor that they will be useful in the future. Is it a guarantee? No, but I'm willing to take that chance for my kids.

[lighthousekeeper]

If you give me $250, I'll guarantee that there's a chance that I'll pay your kids college tuition.

[DaddyTorgo]

what is this "kids" you all speak of?

i worry not about such things.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

what is this "kids" you all speak of?

i worry not about such things.

man - you're missing out. we're all having kids just so we can harvest them for their stem cells.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Is anybody willing to spill what the initial cost is? I want to do this to some ants.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

i worry not about such things.

Probably a safe bet.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Is anybody willing to spill what the initial cost is? I want to do this to some ants.

It varies widely based on geography and other factors, but I've heard it varies anywhere from 700 to 2500 for the initial cost. The annual fee after the initial cost is anywhere from 100-200/year.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Very strong statement despite the fact that stem cells have some convincing science in their favor that they will be useful in the future. Is it a guarantee? No, but I'm willing to take that chance for my kids.

Sure, but there is no evidence that the potential benefits of stem cells in question need to come from the same human.

In fact, the very nature of stem cells suggests quite the opposite.

Besides the fact that any realizable treatments requiring stem cells are quite unlikely in your children's lifetime, especially if they are treatments requiring stem cells from the same human. There won't be people sick enough to participate in clinical trials and with stem cells identifiable as theirs until your children are well into adulthood.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Samdari

Despite the fact that its never actually been useful? All of the potential benefits in the brochure are hypothetical at best, science fiction at worst.



To get nothing for that money?

It is, unequivocally, a scam.

that is why we didn't do it. my thinking is if in the future we have enough medical advances to be able to make even a miniscule use out of cord blood cells we most likely will have made advances in medicine to treat the same ailments via some other method. if it was just a one time cost i would've given it more consideration (i think it was an upfront cost of $500-$750, something like that), but the fact that it involves a yearly fee over $100 a year made it easy to say no. i don't mock anyone who does this, just like i wouldn't mock anyone who buys a bottle of snake oil from a salesman - ultimately people want something to believe in and want to feel they're doing everything in their power to protect their families so you can't knock someone's intention. everyone needs to do what they think is best for them and their families, and if this hooey allows them to sleep easier at nite then all the better. if someone could guarantee we'd be able to make use out of these cord cells then it's a no-brainer.

the only thing you need to know about cord blood is if someone were to say to you "i can sell you this special helmet that will protect you in the extremely unlikely chance you get struck by lightning, all you need to do is pay me $500 for the helmet and $125 a year to allow you to keep this helmet", it comes down to whether or not you think the extremely miniscule odds you'll get struck by lightning is worth the price of the lightning protector helmet. that's all there is to this discussion. boils down to if you have the discretionary income to invest in theoretical "what-if" scenarios.

[Kodos]

Here's what my friend Chris, who is an ER doctor in Chicago, and the smartest person I've known personally, said:

The big advantage would be if they came up with some advances in stem cell research which might be used to cure or treat illness. Thanks to George W. and the republicans there has been limited work on this so far. So any useful implementation is many years into the future, and may never come to light. Topped with the fact that there is no guarantee how long cells in cryo storage will remain viable, and that to be useful for the majority of the population that won't have stored cells, stem cell research will likely have to be coupled with a harvest technique from bone marrow or embryos to be used for practical widespread treatment. Any downside except cost, not really. Any upside? Probably not in the next 20 years.

[Anthony]

that was gonna be another of my points: knowing that a small percentage of the population are saving the cord blood cells and essentially the rest of the population isn't, its likely that research would focus primarily on stem cells from more readily available sources. i can't imagine all the time and money would be spent on research that would benefit only a small percent of people who save the cord blood.

[Icy]

In Spain laws are different, you can store the cord blood and in fact is done, the same way you can donate blood or any organ, but it won't be stored for your family usage, but anonymous stored in a public national bank for research or the use of any person that needs it. It's thought that way to not to allow rich people to have any advantage over the rest of Spanish population, as our public health system states.

Spain is said to be ranked one of the top 3 countries (maybe even #1) on donations (blood, organs, etc) and maybe it is thanks to this anonymous system were nobody has a privilege over the rest.

There was some controversy about it like a year ago, when the press made public that our prince secretly stored his child cord blood in an USA bank for their own private usage against Spanish laws, that was really hypocrite from him. They made all kind of excuses about the "king's heritage" needed to be continued and his kids healthy to be guaranteed, but IMHO it doesn't make any sense in the 21th century. Of course those are my thoughts as a non monarchic guy that thinks that all monarchies are outdated and have no sense in our current society were we can elect our president but have an imposed king based on heritage from centuries ago (i leave it here to not to go more offtopic).

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

There's nothing but good that can come from it assuming you're able to pay for it.

Except a cloned-baby army with laserbeams shooting out of their eyes!

[Fidatelo]

I seem to remember my pre-natal instructor talking about how it's good to leave the cord attached to the baby for a couple minutes after birth because there is food and stuff still being sent from the placenta which is beneficial to the baby. In the little bit I've read, it sounds like your baby doesn't get this extra nutrition if you store the cord blood, and some feel that can be detrimental. Anyone have (informed) thoughts on that?

[Kodos]

I know the Wikipedia article that was linked earlier in the thread talked about that.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I ain't payin' that much to play with ants. Screw 'em.

[Anthony]

its just one of those things that they spring on parents. when you're going to have a baby its natural to have this ultra-protective mindset where you just want to do everything that's in the best interest for your newborn, and this is one of those things that i think medicine tries to capitalize on.

case in point, 3 years ago we bought a puppy (labrodor retriever). now, he was expensive on his own (somewhere over $700 i believe). but it didn't stop there. then they got us to buy all this other stuff (which in hindsight is how they make their real $). we bought this thing called "karo syrup" which would give your puppy a boost of energy/kick if he was feeling sluggish. an energy boost for a fucking puppy?? seemed logical at the time. and this was just for a puppy, multiply that by 1,000 for having a newborn. so storing cord blood cells is one of those things that on paper makes sense but when you stop to think of it you see ther isn't much practicality to it. that money could go towards college education - at least that has a more tangible benefit to it and is an investment into your child that'll pay actual dividends.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I seem to remember my pre-natal instructor talking about how it's good to leave the cord attached to the baby for a couple minutes after birth because there is food and stuff still being sent from the placenta which is beneficial to the baby. In the little bit I've read, it sounds like your baby doesn't get this extra nutrition if you store the cord blood, and some feel that can be detrimental. Anyone have (informed) thoughts on that?

Honestly 3 more minutes of nutrition after the baby has been getting the same nutrition the last 9 months, sounds like hogwash.

I say you just eat the cord like our predecessors did!

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Except a cloned-baby army with laserbeams shooting out of their eyes!

And, really, can you really put a price on that?

SI

[SnDvls]

since I was the original poster and asked this question as we were having twins. I thought I should update it somewhat.

We did not do the cord blood banking. 1) cost, yes it's the "potential" cost of your childs life vs. the cost of set up and storage so this is the #1 decision you need to make. We asked my wifes dr. at the time his thoughts and gathered as much info as we could about it. 2) we don't have any life threatening illness that runs in our families or anyone that could benefit from it right away so it made us favor even more to not do it.

There is a storage facility in AZ so our initinal cost wasn't going to be as high as some, but one thing is don't contact a company direct to get more info. They will hound you for months on end to "sign you up". Get what info you can from sources outside the company if possible.

[Cringer]

I plan on eating the cord once I chew through it to free my kid.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SnDvls

2) we don't have any life threatening illness that runs in our families or anyone that could benefit from it right away so it made us favor even more to not do it.

This is a good point. My wife's family has a history of Parkinson's Disease. That was an important factor into why we did do cord banking.