Family banks provide payment plans and gift registries to make cord blood banking affordable for more families. Many family banks also offer free cord blood processing and storage to families with an existing medical need. The price range can be anywhere from $1500 to $2000 dollars to cover the collection and storage of the baby’s cord blood. The private medical courier fee is $100 to $200 and that covers the transportation of the baby’s cord blood from the birthing room to the bank’s lab. Yearly storage fees range anywhere from $125 to $200 and they cover the maintenance and storage of the baby’s cord blood. On the plus side, a lot of cord-blood banks offer payment plans.

The biggest reason parents consider cord-blood banking for their newborn is because they may have a family medical history of diseases that can be treated bone marrow transplants. Cord blood would be handy to have on tap to prevent having to look for a matching donor for a bone marrow transplant.

The risks to the mother’s health or the baby’s at the time of collection are low, but nonexistent. If the umbilical cord is clamped too soon after the baby’s birth it could possibly increase the amount of blood that is collected but it could also cause the baby to have a lower blood volume and possibly have anemia soon after birth.

Is cord-blood banking right for you? As you evaluate the reasons for banking cord blood and begin to research cord-blood bank facilities, there are things that need to be considered and cautions to keep in mind.

It is important to note that the AAP guidelines issued in January 2007 are based on outdated statistics and do not recognized the tenant of informed choice – that expectant parents should be informed of all their cord blood preservation options in order to make the best decision for their family. In more recent guidelines issued in January 2008, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recognized the value of cord blood stem cells and encouraged health care providers to educate expectant parents on their options for preserving them. Parents of children of ethnic or racial minorities are especially encouraged to bank cord blood because it is statistically harder to find a match for those children.

Other doctors and researchers suggest saving umbilical cord blood from every delivery — mainly because they feel stem-cell research is key for possible cures for various diseases in the future. The odds of needing stem cells are much higher than previously thought. In the United States, the lifetime probability (up to age 70) that an individual will undergo an autologous transplant (using his or her own stem cells) is 1 in 435; the lifetime probability to undergo an allogeneic transplant (using donor cells including those from a sibling) is 1 in 400; and the overall odds of undergoing any stem cell transplant is 1 in 217. This doesn’t account for future advances in regenerative medicine.

Cord blood banking

In a vaginal delivery, the umbilical cord is clamped off on both sides before the doctors remove it. Generally, the cord blood is collected by the doctor or experienced nurse before the placenta is delivered. After the umbilical cord is removed, one side is unclamped, and a small tube is placed into the vein of the umbilical cord to collect the stem cell rich blood. Next, the placenta is liberated and needles are inserted into the large blood vessels that have fed the fetus during growth.In a c-section birth, collecting the cord-blood is more difficult because the doctor’s main focus is the mother. Only after the infant has been delivered and the mother has been stitched up can the cord blood be collected safely. Due to the delay, there is normally less cord blood than the amount collected from vaginal births. It is extremely important to gather as much cord blood as possible — more cord blood equals more stem cells. The more stem cells you have improves the chances of a successful transplant if the need should ever arise.

After the cord blood has been collected, the blood is stored in bags or syringes. A quick call to the cord-blood bank, then a courier comes and whisks the blood back to the bank. The bank then tags it with an identifying number. Then the facility performs a procedure to separate the stem cells from the rest of the blood. The technicians use liquid nitrogen to freeze the sample and promptly store it. The stem cells can then be thawed in the future if needed and used for blood transplants for the donor. Privately-stored cord blood stem cells are available for use by that child or a genetically-matched family member.

No parent wants to think their child might get sick someday but it is wise to consider the possibility. There is a decision available when your baby is born that could greatly influence his future health. It’s the decision to bank your infant’s cord blood. So much media attention has been brought to cord blood banking and it has become an issue for many parents.

What if your child needs transfusions? Bone marrow donations? Is there anyone in the family who can closely match your child in blood type? These are all questions that come to mind when a child falls ill, seriously ill. Each one can possibly be answered by researching cord blood banking. Research and education is key to understanding how this medical advance works.

Taking the time to educate yourself on this topic, whether you are a parent, expecting to be a parent, or in the stages of trying to conceive has become a new necessity. Unfortunately, many hospitals do not participate in cord blood donation due to funding constraints. Where cord blood donation is available, not all moms or cord blood units meet criteria for collection and storage in a public bank. However, private cord blood banking is available at any hospital to any person. Private banks provide expectant parents with a cord blood collection kit that contains everything their healthcare provider will need for the collection. Expectant parents should inform their healthcare provider that they are enrolled in private banking and should bring the kit with them to the delivery. Ask your Ob/Gyn if they participate in public cord banking through the hospital you will be giving birth at. If you plan on giving birth at home or in a center, there are still options available for you.

Your OB/Gyn may have materials available to you discussing cord blood banking. Often, the main materials offered are brochures which do not cover all of the information that is available to those who are researching this option. Most brochures only give basic information on cord blood banking, a company name, and phone number. While some of the information provided in these brochures is accurate, it is imperative to do your own research and when making a decision to use a certain company, make sure the company provides the most information with the most up to date science.