The other day I got invited to join Cord Blood Registry at the Russian Tea Room to talk about cord blood banking. Ok, so being a mom in NYC can be cool, yes I know – a early brunch with some of my favorite NYC bloggers at the Russian Tea Room to learn about something I was inquisitive about? Yes, please!
I go back and fourth about pharmaceuticals and organic, holistic health. As you all know, I grew up on a farm and we didn’t rush to the doctor every time we had a cough. We toughed it out, ate a Halls, and kept going – hey, the cows weren’t going to milk themselves! Thing is, I am 99% convinced growing up eating REAL food out of the ground and REAL milk and eggs from REAL, happy, healthy animals is why I am still rarely ever sick.
The most I ever saw a doctor in my life was when pregnant.
Needless to say, the first time I heard about cord blood banking, I thought – ummmm just another reason to take our money. As a new mom, there are a MILLION things thrown at you. But I am here to tell you why you should consider adding this to your registry.
Take 5 minutes to watch this video – especially if pregnant – it’s worth the time.
I know they try to get you with these emotional videos, but this is a real mom who’s little girl was saved by stem cells in their cord blood. You never think – hey my kid just MIGHT have a tumor, or a stroke 5 days before their 1st birthday, but IT CAN HAPPEN. The beauty behind cord blood is that they can help regenerate and speed up the process of recovery for almost ANY medical issue you may run into.
One they mentioned that resonated with me was – we have insurance for our homes, our cars, and our health – so why not our future?
Video courtesy of www.cordblood.com
First of all, you only get one chance.
I can’t turn around and decide to do it again for Maximo – the time has passed, and while I can’t beat myself up about it, I do feel a little guilty that I didn’t consider it more.
It’s becoming more affordable.
Okay – #firstworldproblems here. The majority of the world can’t afford this. But there are a few payment plans to help the less fortunate because it is still relatively new, and most insurance companies haven’t adopted the idea – even though they should be! If you’re a non smoker it lowers your premiums, so if you banked cord blood that will potentially lower your medical costs in the future come serious health issues, shouldn’t you get a discount for that, too?
– Newborn Possibilities Program®: Through the Newborn Possibilities Program,CBR® offers free cord blood and cord tissue processing and five years of storage to families with a medical need to potentially use newborn stem cells now or in the near future. To date, the Newborn Possibilities Program has processed and saved stem cells for nearly 5,000 children.
– The Family Cord Blood Banking Act: Illinois and Wisconsin recently introduced legislation that will ensure that umbilical cord blood banking services are recognized as a qualified medical expense so that families that have already banked or will bank their child’s umbilical cord blood stem cells in the future can use tax-advantaged health dollars for the collection, processing and storage of these life-saving cells. The Family Cord Blood Banking Act will allow parents to use tax-free dollars to pay for cord blood banking services through Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA), Flex Spending Accounts (FSA) and the medical expenses tax deduction.
Currently, cord blood banking is $2000, with a $130 yearly banking fee. When I was pregnant, I think it was $4000, and my neighbor, who DID bank cord blood 3 months ago paid $3500. So the prices are dropping. And $2,000 is a reasonable amount to request from grandparents or a registry gift.
Donating cord blood is FREE!
If you’re like me and didn’t bank cord blood, the only way I could be able to access any is through the public donated supply. I would have to hope there was a matching set, and I would HOPE the donated blood was clean (from a non smoker, etc). So even if you don’t want to keep it for yourself, you should consider asking your hospital or doctor to donate it. It’s free. And it could save lives down the road.
Basic questions:
As of today, cord blood stem cells have been used in more than 30,000 transplants to regenerate healthy blood and immune systems. Over the last 20 years, cord blood stem cells have been used in the treatment of more than 80 serious diseases and disorders. By helping to replace a patient’s damaged blood and immune system, cord blood stem cells help treat and even cure a number of diseases like certain:
- Cancers
- Immune Diseases
- Blood Disorders
- Metabolic Disorders
YOUR OPTIONS: CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS
- Family banking – store the stem cells for your family’s exclusive use
- Public donation – donate the stem cells to possibly help a patient in need
- Free family banking – for families with a medical need
- Discard as medical waste
The opportunity to save a baby’s potentially lifesaving stem cells happens only once in a lifetime—at birth.
Information courtesy of www.cordblood.com
Overall, if I have the chance again, I believe I will definitely use cord blood banking. Now that I am a mom, I would DO ANYTHING to protect my children, and I think it’s a small price to pay for their well being god forbid anything should happen. It’s painless, simple and can save a life for not only your child, but friends and family. The world is evolving my friends, and I think this is one innovation we shouldn’t ignore.
To learn more about cord blood banking with Cord Blood Registry, visit www.cordblood.com, or peek in on our tweets/photos at #cordblood411
