This is a partnered post with Datarank, but all opinions are my own.
In August we received a surprise when my daughter burst into the house carrying a small gift she handed to me. I opened it to find pacifiers. “Thank you,” I replied, “but I don’t need these.” Apparently, yes, I do, as we will have the pitter patter of little feet running around our house next spring. While I am thrilled over the prospect of a new baby, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of pregnancy. My daughter has several rare diseases and spends weekly appointments at the high risk pregnancy doctor, who has already sent her to the hospital once and has threatened to do so again. Because the diseases are genetic, there is a strong chance the baby will inherit them. We wanted a way to protect and help the baby if needed, so we began to look into Cord Blood Banking with StemCyte.
If you are like me, you probably wondered, “What is Cord Blood Banking and why is it important?”
Cord blood banking involves collecting blood left in your newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta and storing it for future medical use. Cord blood contains potentially lifesaving cells called stem cells.
We all know how fast technology in the medical field is updating. Currently, umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells are used in disease treatment to fight over 80 diseases including many forms of malignancies such as leukemia, autoimmune disease, lupus and inheritable diseases such as sickle cell anemia, and as treatment expands the list will continue to grow. The cord blood stem cells are unique to the baby so they will be a perfect match, if needed, and there’s a 30% chance the cells can be used as a match for a sibling. There is a lot more medical jargon, but research is being done now that shows promise in the area of using the umbilical cord lining in regenerative medicine, potentially targeting issues like diabetes.
Banking with StemCyte comes with a $50,000 life saving guarantee and the promise the babies’ cord blood will be processed and stored correctly. Using a proprietary stem cell optimization process that consistently delivers cell recovery of 99% or higher, StemCyte offers one of the highest numbers of viable stem cells – functional, usable cells preserved years or even decades after their banking – in the industry.
To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have thought of this if my daughter didn’t have so many diseases. But, having seen all the suffering she has gone through over the years as doctor after doctor tried to determine what was wrong with her, if this can help prevent problems in the new baby, I am all for it!
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I’ve read other blog posts about cord blood banking. Sounds like a great choice for expecting parents.
These are some great pics & my wishes to your family for more success. Cord blood banking is such an important resource, which every parent must have a great awareness over it.
Medically we have come so far – it is very impressive what is available in the medicine field. Giving you a pacifier to tell you about the new baby was a very cute way to inform you.
I am glad that this is something you can do for your family. It’s great that there are now so many options on ways to take care of those you love.
We thought hard about blood banking. We wish we would have now that the time has passed.
Congrats on the new bundle of joy. I think it is important that you are all having these conversations and being proactive about health in your family.
Congrats on the new addition! I just had baby #2 4 weeks ago! I totally agree on doing anything and everything you can do to protect babies!
First of all, congrats on your new addition to the family! I had not thought much about the whole stem cord blood banking issue. Thank you for the useful information.
I heard about cord blood banking and I think it’s amazing. I just wish they can make this more affordable for people like me.
StemCyte sounds like a great option to have. I know a few people that are expecting. I will have to share this with them. Congrats on the new baby.
Sorry to hear that but congratulations! I pray that it all works out in your favor.
What an exciting and nerve wreaking time for your family. Lots of prayers for a healthy baby and mom!
I agree that Cord Blood Banking is something new parents can do to ensure that their child would have something to turn to “just in case.” I hope we can raise more awareness to this valuable resource.
I think it is a smart investment and if you need it to, I hope it serves you well! Lovely couple, and congrats to you all on the little one.
Congrats on a upcoming addition! It’ll be a blast of course, . We didn’t do the stem cord banking , not sure why
Congratulations on the new baby! It’s wonderful we live when we do so that we have access to so many great advances in medical technology.
Well, congrats to you! I’ve heard awesome things about cord blood banking, actually!
I have heard of doing this and I wouldn’t be against it.
If I had another baby, I would consider cord blood banking. It sounds like a great idea.
I am well past the time of having babies but this is such a great idea for new parents. I wish I had been able to do it.
It is very expensive, and we have a doctor in the family that doesn’t feel so strongly about its benefits.
I have to admit I haven’t heard of cord banking before, but then I’m not a parents, it sounds like a good idea for some. x
Congrats to your whole family! Your daughter looks so beautiful with that bump! So cute. Cord blood banking is so important. I wish I had looked into it with my pregnancies.
IF I had a child with alot of medical problems I would probably do cord banking too. I think it’s a good call
The best parenting tip I’ve ever received is simply to follow my gut. It’s great that cord blood banking is more widely available than it was when I was having kids. It’s so helpful!
Congratulations! My best piece of advice that I received was to calm down and take it slow. All babies are different and progress differently.
Cord blood banking is SO important for so many reasons. I hope your post reaches lots of expecting moms and dads!!
I looked into this when my boys were born, but it was way to expensive. Hopefully the price has come way down since then. I definitely couldn’t afford it with all the other expenses that came along with having a new baby.
There are so many advances in medicine these days….and lots of them have to do with stem cells. I’m sure this will continue to become a big trend to save the cord blood for just this reason.
Technology advances pretty much every day. Isn’t that amazing?
I wish I’d known about cord blood banking when my kids were born. That’s just one extra layer of help if you need it. I think it’s a fantastic idea.
Cord blood banking is so important!! The best thing you can do for your children!