Expecting a baby is one of the beautiful yet
important phases of life. Several decisions are to be made and what to do with
your newborns cord blood is just one of them. Cord blood is a precious
commodity that is collected from a newborn right after birth. Being a rich
source of stem cells, cord blood is currently used to treat more than 80
diseases including several forms of cancers, immune disorders, blood disorders
and genetically inherited diseases to mention a few. Parents may discard it,
donate it to public banks or store it in a private cord blood banking facility.
Storing cord blood and tissue at private banks may cost you whereas donations
are free of cost. Cord blood donated to the public bank is used either for
medical research or stem cell transplants.
Private cord blood banking have been gaining
immense popularity in the recent times, as you can find its marketing pitches
everywhere – at doctor’s waiting rooms, pregnancy related mobile apps,
parenting magazines and more. The month of July is even considered as National
Cord Blood Awareness Month. But according to the doctors, parents need to be
very cautious when signing up for the private cord blood storage. Expectant
parents need to think long and hard before taking an informed decision. Banking
your newborns cord blood at a private bank is an expensive affair, as the
processing fees can run from roughly $500 to $2,500 with
the annual storage fees of $100 to $300 each year thereafter.
Most of the
parents who opt for private cord blood banking consider it as a precious
resource and biological life insurance for their kid. Even though, the chances
of your child benefiting from his or her own cord blood are less than 0.04
percent. This is because the cord blood contains the same cells and genetic
defects that are responsible for the diseases in the first place. So, the best
case is to choose private banking only if your family has a medical history of
diseases currently treatable with cord blood. Talk with your doctor in order to
discuss all the possibilities and take a wise decision.