My wife is pregnant with our first child and is due in about a month.  Over the course of her pregnancy we have received around a dozen mailers about cord blood.  I looked over them a bit and that was as far as it went.  The topic was recently brought up in one of our birthing classes.  Seems like there are many good reasons to do it however I get the impression from some that it is more like a scam.  Has anyone here used a cord blood service or have any first hand experiences?

Quoted: My wife is pregnant with our first child and is due in about a month.  Over the course of her pregnancy we have received around a dozen mailers about cord blood.  I looked over them a bit and that was as far as it went.  The topic was recently brought up in one of our birthing classes.  Seems like there are many good reasons to do it however I get the impression from some that it is more like a scam.  Has anyone here used a cord blood service or have any first hand experiences?

I've heard a lot about it on the Bob & Sheri show, here's a Wiki article about it.

My wife and I had our little girl last month.  We were going to do it...but decided against it.   Stem cells would be nice to have around, but we don't have any bad health history in either of our families.  It seemed like a needless expense at thet time.


Knock on wood....

Major

We did it when my daughter was born 22 months ago.
It isnt cheap.
We spent 2500.00 I think (which includes storage etc)
Heres the good news.... if you get cancer or whatever.... those cells can be used for your baby, you or the mother. It will also treat most blood relatives.

It's expensive but we did it, I dont know maybe science will come up with something better but we hedged the bets even though it strained the budget big time.

They do offer a payment plan deal.. but we ate the whole thing at one time.

Good info so far.
Bump for the night crew.

It's yummy?

 We collected and stored cord blood on both of our babies through a company called Cryo-Cell.  My feeling is that the stem cells in the umbilical cord blood is a known treatment for over 70 blood disorders & leukemias and research is bound to find even more uses for them, so why not?  The company charged about $1000-$1200 for the initial processing and we pay $50/year for storage - a small price to pay for this "insurance" that I hope we'll never need.  But, the way I see it, if one of my children was diagnosed with something that could be treated with stem cells and we threw it away, I'd be kicking myself!  In addition, there is also a chance (50%?) that the cord blood will be a match for a sibling who may need it, and if not used, it can be donated.  If you decide to go ahead, be sure you discuss it with your wife's doctor so s/he knows how to collect it.  The company provides the kit and all materials needed and will arrange for transport of the blood.
(written by my wife...)

I assumed it was pretty much a scam because they were a little too eager to sell it, but i would like to be proved wrong.

Seems to me like the companies are taking advantage of parents willingness to do anything for their children.

Does anyone have any verifiable link to cases where children were saved by banked cord blood?

stem cells from the fluid and the cord can be stored.  One of the big reasons to do this is cancer.  If your kid needs a bone marrow transplant instead of hopping to find a compatible donor you have their own cells on ice ready to be implanted if needed.

Both my girls had theirs taken, FWIW.

We used them for our first and will again for our second due in March. You have to decide if you want to spend the money on the very slim probablity your child will need the stem cells. There are 2 types of cord blood banks. Those that store the blood for your family's use only and those that are "public".

www.cordbloodbank.com/