Donating cord blood is a controversial process. Umbilical cord blood is the blood that is left in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby has been born and the umbilical cord has been cut. Doctors currently use the stem cells from cord blood to treat over seventy life-threatening diseases. But that doesn't mean that cord blood banking is appropriate for everyone.
A major argument against cord blood banking is the cost. Banking cord blood is expensive, including a one-time fee up front and then yearly storage fees. The total cost can add up to thousands of dollars, making it unreasonable for parents to do. However, many cord blood banks attempt to appeal to the emotional side of parents, especially expectant parents who are often facing a multitude of tough decisions regarding their unborn children. Some professionals call the way the cord blood banks advertise "emotional blackmail," meaning they are using guilt to encourage parents to participate. Donating your child's cord blood to a public bank is generally free (although it is not guaranteed that it can be used by your child or his siblings in the future).
The American Academy of Pediatrics is against private cord blood banking, arguing that the chances are slim that a child will need cord blood in the future. Even if a child does need a stem cell transplant, the likelihood that they can use their own cord blood is small. That is because a child's own cord blood is probably composed of the same genetic material that caused the disease in the first place.
Nobody can deny that there are many advantages to banking cord blood, either publicly or privately. The choice whether to pay for private storage is up to each individual family. Doctors are more likely to recommend it if there is a disease that runs in your family that may be treated by cord blood. Keep in mind that if your child does develop a disease that will require a stem cell transplant, there are other ways to access a match other than through private cord blood banking. You may be able to find a match through a public cord blood bank or use stem cells that come from other sources (such as bone marrow and circulating blood).
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