Saving Cord Blood

[DaiseyMama]

So what does anybody think of this? I get intrigued by it from what I read. Not only saving it...but either that or donating it.

It appears to me that many of us couldn't save cord blood if we even wanted to simply because it is so outrageously expensive to do so.....

But to donate it...would be free. And that sounds helpful, and interesting , too.

Is saving cord blood something that can only be done in a hospital? I just think it's something interesting to think about.

-Daisey

[JCsMomma]

Daisey,
I personally have saved both of my boys' cord blood. It can be expensive, but I believe it is worth it. I hope and pray I will never need to use it, but I know it is there if anything should ever happen. I got a lot of flack from some of my Christian friends when I did this because they thought that I did not have enough faith. I disagree. I believe that the Lord has given us wisdom and discernment in these areas and has given the same to doctors, allopathic AND natural. Jesus said that we would go on to do even greater works than he did, and I believe that this may very well be one of those greater works. In fact, there is a study going on right now in the autisitic community that utilizes a child's own cord blood as a means of treating autism. What an enormous gift it would be if this happens to be valid and I have the boys' blood already! Once they are old enough and they take it over, if they do not want it any longer, they can choose to donate it.
I personally believe it is a good idea/investment all the way around. As for doing it at home, I am not sure. But I do know that you order the kit and it is something that you take directly to the hospital with you, so if you are having a midwife, I do not see why they would not be able to complete to collection for you.
Hope this helps!!
Cherise

[blessed2Bmama]

Kirstin,

I personally think that our babies need all that blood that's in the cord to get a healthy start in life!!!

On the other hand, if I had a family member in desperate need of stem cells, I'd definitely try to save the cord blood!

Just my 2 cents!

[DaiseyMama]

Hmmmm.... interesting.... lots of food for thought. Gosh that's an interesting thought that a midwife might could do it. I wonder how much blood it takes to fill a Cord Blood Thingy, I'm thinking the baby would be fine with MOST of it's blood from the cord and having a little to spare for possible future things that might arise.

Cherisa....where do you get your ktis, and if it's not too personal...how much did they cost???

You could p.m. me if it's too personal.

Thanks for ya'lls thoughts.

[JCsMomma]

I started sending this post yesterday and I got all the way to the end and my littlest one turned the computer off.. so I am sorry you didn't get this sooner!
If I remember correctly, it was $75 to pre-order the kit. You can do this as much in advance as you would like. I used Cryo-Cell because it is pretty local here - it is in Clearwater, Fl.
You bring it with you to the hospital, you give it to the nurses or doctor.. both of mine were planned c-sections, so I am not sure how it would work for a regular delivery... they wheeled me in and it was on my bed...
Once the cord is cut, the blood is taken from the side attached to the placenta. So the baby gets all the blood from their end. The container is about 3x4 inches... it looks like one of the bags they use to collect blood in when you donate.. kwim?
then once everything is taken care of, they seal it up and give it back to you or someone in your family. I asked my sister to be in charge of it since I knew it would not be my first priority that day... ;D
You have 24 hours to call the courier and have it overnighted to the storage facility. I made sure to keep a copy of all paperwork and called the place the next day to make sure they got it. The initial set up fee and registration cost was $250 I think...
After all of that, the only charge is the annual fee. That depends on how much it currently is when you start the storage. ds1 was born in 2001 and his fee is $50 a year, ds2 born in 2003 and his fee is $90 a year.... but I think it is a small price to pay for some "insurance". Once they turn 18 or 21 (depending on the age you choose), the blood is theirs.. if they do not want to keep it, they can donate it to a central bank.
It does seem like alot of money and trouble, but I kept thinking if something were to happen in the future and we needed it for whatever reason and I didn't do this, I would never forgive myself.. first of all.. and then to compare the time and cost of storing and saving their blood to begin with compared to searching for a possible match... the answer was simple...
Besides, I believe you reap what you sow (as I am sure we all do) so.. I am just doing my part and sowing protection and investing in their health..
I hope I covered all of it...

[DaiseyMama]

Whew, don't you hate it when that happens?!? LOL I've had that happen to me on gigantic heartwritten posts and I just cried!LOL

Anyway. Thanks for all the info. So intriguing.

I was talking with my midwife about this today and I found out how much they use to fill up the kit, and it is quite more than I would have imagined. Midwife says that it's still possibly helpful in a situation where you already know of a possibly good use for it, but that if that isn't the case....it's quite a bit of blood to be using.

So it gives me more to keep pondering on. I Definately see the merits. There ar definate pros AND cons here. I am going to do more research. My midwife HAS done this for a lady by the way, so I guess the answer to the question in YES!! We can save cord blood as homebirthers. But I was shocked at the amount she says it uses.

Like four viles, that are as wide as.....a quarter, and as long as........longer than a finger I think...I dunno...something like that. The description kinda freaked me out. But obvisouly babies aren't dying from it. So, it'll just take a weighing out of stats and research for me to decide.

13 weeks to go!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have to study my EC books....
Study my Peaceful Birthing stuff....
Study my Breast Feeding Book again....
and Study my BIBLE.....

LOL

Whew!!

Love, Daisey