Cord Blood Banking

As an expectant parent you have so many decisions to make, products and services to research. Finding the best stroller within in your budget is a tough decision. One decision that is commonly overlooked is whether or not to bank your babies cord blood.

I do birthing classes in my town and so many parents have never heard of cord blood banking. I have 4 children. Yes i said 4! They are 9,7,5 & 13 months old. I first heard something when i was pregnant with my 3rd child and really didn't research it. With my last child, it was something that i wanted to check into. We knew that we were not having anymore children and didn't want to pass on something that could possibly benefit my entire family.

What is so special about your newborn's cord blood?

• The newborn's umblicial cord blood is a valuable source of non-controversial stem cells. Cord blood stem cells, like bone marrow stem cells, are free of political and ethical debate.



• The benefits of cord blood stem cells are clear- cord blood has already saved thousands of lives and medical researchers are now exploring potential new uses for conditions like diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
  


• Currently have been successfully used in the treatment of 70 life-threatening diseases
  


• Perfect match for the baby and may also provide potential treatment for other family members as well.

(Information taken from ViaCord's website at www.Viacord.com)

What to look for in a collection and storage company.

• Financial stability of the company. In today's economy, we really need to fully research our options before making our decision



• Where the cord blood is stored? You want to make sure that it is not in an area that is succeptable to natural disasters. Such as flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.



• What is the company doing to advance what our babies cord blood can be used for?



• Price is always important but remember, the cheapest is not always the best
  
  Now that you have the questions, now what do you do? The world wide web is a vast wealth of information. You can google, "cord blood banking" and will come up with many websites including the companies that collect and store your blood for you.
  

As I mentioned, I banked my babies cord blood. I personally choose ViaCord. I had the opportunity of meeting the Account Manager for the area that I live in. She asked me if I was going to bank? I said no, and that started me thinking why am I not at least going to look into this. After researching the companies, I choose ViaCord. My husband and I had many discussions of whether to spend the money or not. He is a research chemist in a pharmaceutical company. This is what I found out about ViaCord from a regular mom's perspective.

• The company is publicly owned and is financially sound. They have been in the leader in cord blood perservation and research since 1993.



• The blood is stored outside of a major airport hub in Cinncinnati in a state of the art cryopreservation facility.



• I believe that Viacord is the only cord blood preservation companies that have a dedicated team to further research with cord blood.
  


• Pricing is competitive and in line with the CBR. What swayed my decision was the research done in house by ViaCord. That showed my family that they were dedicated to expanding the technology of cord blood. If you are in the medical profession or active military, there may be additional savings.



• They offer a baby registery. You can have family and friends donate towards the cost of your banking.



• My OB was very educated on ViaCord and recommended that I check into it before my delivery date.

Whether you are expecting your first child and on your 4th life myself, this is a very important decision. For more information or to view a short presentation of cord blood banking, you can visit www.brainshark.com/viacord/Sherri_Spaw.

I currently have $400 OFF Coupons that expire mid June. If your are interested, please email me at slspaw@verizon.net for more information.