So my husband and I are due in February with our first. Horay! I have seen a lot of ads for cord blood banking, and then one of my mom-friends sent me a referral to the Cord Blood Registry.
It is pretty expensive. Approx. $3,000.00 for the collection and storage, then $250.00 a year for continued storage. We can afford it, ultimately, but it is expensive and the benefits seem to be very few. In fact, it is much more likely that a sibling or family member will use the banked cord blood and tissue, rather than the child themselves.
However, I used to work in the field of molecular genetics (8 - 10 years ago) at the NIH. And I know that the field of regenerative medicine is constantly changing. Most of the profeesional organizations, American Assoc. of Peds, American College of OB/Gyns, etc… say there is not enough evidence that it is currently needed.
I’m answering as a parent who is married to a molecular biologist: we banked the cord blood. We went back and forth on the issue before our daughter was born because at that time, very few kids had actually benefited from having banked cord blood. But ultimately we looked at it like an insurance policy. The likelihood that our child will ever need it is very slim, but IF she needs it, she NEEDS it.
I guess it depends on whether you need that money for other things. The chances he/she will need it are tiny. Think about if that money would be better spent on something you KNOW will benefit him/her. But if money is abundant and that cash won’t be missed, then why not?
Personally I would suggest donating cord blood. The odds of your child needing it are extremely remote and if enough donate the odds are that a registry could provide it if needed. But the odds of it helping someone else in need, like who you fear your child might possibly be, are greater.
I really like your suggestion DSeid, I didn’t even think of that. As far as I can tell, my hospital doesn’t participate in public cord blood donation. But I will see what I can do to facilitate a donation. Ultimately, it just seems like good karma to do so.
I will do some more independent research about the benefits. We can afford it, so it’s not like the money will be used in lieu of something else that is critical or beneficial. There is just such a commercial push for it, and it’s hard to tell if it is a legitimate use of money, or a way to sucker naive DINKs like my husband and I. The reproduction industry is staggering, frankly.
Thinking about it, though, in the grand scheme of the cost of having kids… $3,000 won’t even cover the first three months of day care. The cost of living in Northern Virginia is ridiculous. Why did I decide to do this again? :eek:
According to the cite I provided in the previous thread, it’s probably not worth it. It sounds like there is only one scenario that cord blood can even be used: to treat a sibling with leukemia. Other than that, you’re talking science fiction.
So if you’re not planning on having more kids, then it’s almost certainly useless. If you are, there is a (very, very) slim chance it could be useful in the future.