What is your opinion on preserving your baby's cord blood?

Question

My friend mentioned it to me many times, she did it for all her children and thinks this is very important. I am just wondering, is medical research so advanced now they can actually use it? Also, I heard that it is so little, it won't be enough.

Answer 1

Please donate your baby's cord blood. There is no cost involved if you donate it and you could save someone's life. May daughter was saved by a single unit of cord blood (see my 'source' for our Thank You Letter to our donor).

Saving it is only if you want to store it for your own possible future use (which is not worth the money or trouble). It is like buying an expensive lottery ticket. The chances that you could ever use it are so small. In fact, there is a good chance that the child you have will not be able to use it even if they do become ill because often the 'defect' in their blood or DNA that caused the illness is in the cord blood too.

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics warns against storing cord blood.

http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary...

Info on donating:

http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Cord_B...

Also, know that this takes pre-planning. Many places can't get everything done they need to get done unless you start by your 34th week.

Answer 2

When you, me, our parents and grandparents...... were babies, they did not have that. I decided against it with my baby girl. I grew up great without it. Plus, it is expensive! They can use it, because they can reproduce the DNA in the blood, kinda like Jurassic Park did.

Answer 3

I'm all for it, it helps with stem cell reaserch and that will save lifes more then it does so far!

Answer 4

You can donate it. Just tell the doctor that you want to donate it.

OR

You can pay big money for it to be stored away.

I would rather donate it, because it is free, you are helping, and more than likely you won't need it later on.

But, you never know, so good luck on whatever you choose to do.