Joe and I have
been looking into our options regarding our baby’s cord blood. At first I just wanted to donate it
figuring it could help someone in need.
Joe thought maybe it would be a good investment to bank it. However, there’s no history of cancers,
blood disorders or genetic diseases in either of our families so I don’t really
see a point in spending thousands of dollars to bank something that might never
be needed. I think he thinks of it
as an insurance policy and worries that if something ever did happen and we had
the option or ability to help our baby in the future, we should. However, there’s no real guarantee that
it’ll actually cure anything. It
would just be used for treatment.
During our
childbirth class the lecturer mentioned delayed clamping. Apparently the placenta has one third
of the baby’s blood still in it and you can wait up to 3 minutes after birth
(or until the placenta stops pulsing) before cutting the cord to make sure your
baby gets all of its blood. Studies have shown it’s very beneficial to for the baby’s health to have
all of its blood since it’ll have more red blood cells, stem cells and immune
cells. Plus, studies have also shown
better neurodevelopment in babies with delayed clamping. The only risk seems to be a higher rate
of jaundice.
Some cord banks
claim you can do both but it seems very unlikely. Most doctors and midwives I’ve read articles from say you
cannot do both (there’s a pretty good article called Confessions of a Vampire
Midwife about cord blood collection).
The minimum amount of blood needed for collection is 45mls. That’s the equivalent to three bottles
of nail polish and that’s only the minimum amount. I honestly think cord blood banks are just saying that you
can do both hoping you’ll pay them to store your cord blood even if the sample
is insufficient. Clearly they'd want more than the minimum for a donation.
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