Hi everyone,
We have a little guy due in about 7 weeks and we are getting to the point where we have to decide on what we do (or don't do) with his cord blood.
There are a couple options (for those who care):
- Do nothing (aka the umbilical cord goes out as medical waste)
- Donate it to the AB Cord Blood Bank
- Store it privately for our use
I know we want to do
something with it, but we are torn between private and public.
As the doctor tells it, less than 2% of people opt to do anything with the cord blood, and most who do opt to do something send it to the Provincial bank.
The benefits of this are that it 'only' costs $200, however the down side is that birth must happen between Mon-Thurs in order for it to get to the cord blood facility for use.
From a 'use' standpoint, anyone can use any cord blood form the bank, regardless of if you donated or not. This is good or bad. You may or may not get your own child's cord blood back, should you need it. However if there is another match there, you can use it.
This seems like the default "duh" answer, but when I found out how few people actually use the public one, I get scared, as that means the whole population has access to it, yet very few donations (small supply, huge demand).
Coles notes: The above have got me seriously considering ponying up for private storage. That way, if my child or his siblings need it, the cord blood is guaranteed there and available for your use.
The downside here, of course, is cost. I understand the kit is roughly the same $200, but the storage fee is $1,000 and then $100 or so a year. Seems like a small price to pay to guarntee stems cells and such should your child need them.
Does anyone here have any experience with either public or private cord blood saving? Any comments on what we should consider for first time cord blood savers in Calgary?
Thanks CP!