Baby Cord Blood Banking FAQ- Is it a good idea for you?

Why would I want to 'Bank' my baby's cord blood?

Banking your baby's cord blood is like buying life insurance, you hope you'll never need it. In the event that your child has a disease or disorder, the cord blood might be usable as a cure. But unlike life insurance, by having cord blood saved, you might save the life of that baby's family members as well.

What is cord Blood and why is it so important?

Simply put, the blood in the umbilical cord and from the placenta, called Cord Blood, is very special. It contains special cells called stem cells which have the ability to repair the human body. Mostly cord blood is used to treat blood and immune system problems, with leukemia probably being the most common problem solved. However, this is an area of active research, and new uses are being found all the time.

What is Cord Blood Banking?

When a baby is born, the blood from the umbilical cord is kept, and collected using a kit you usually get from the cord blood bank ahead of time. The blood is then sent to the cord blood bank via a medical courier, to ensure the blood stays at the right temperature. After a filtering of the blood to get the stem cells, the stems cells are kept in a liquid nitrogen freezer in Cryopreservation (i.e. preserved at a temperature below -292 F). At these cold temperatures, all biochemical reactions, including cell death are stopped. The stem cells can be thawed at a later date, and can be used as needed.

What problems can stems cells solve now?

The most common uses of cord blood stem cells are in treating leukemia and other blood diseases. In total there are around 75 known uses of cord blood stem cells, treating a variety of blood and immune system problems. There is a growing amount of research in this area, and in the near future heart diseases and disorders will likely be added to the list.

How is cord blood stored?

Cord blood is stored at either public or private cord blood banks. If you donate your cord blood to a public blood bank, someone else will use it, and it's not there for your benefit. These banks store the blood at really cold temperatures, like around -180 C or -290 F, in special liquid nitrogen freezers.

What does it cost?

The average cost is around $2000 US for the setup and $100 US per year for the storage.