How much does it cost for Cord Blood Banking?

[TheSiege]

What are the costs? Experience with it? Just any information if you have any.

For those of you that don't know its banking the stem cells from your child's umbilical cord for a later use.

 

[amdhunter]

You make Jesus cry.

 

[HappyPuppy]

The OP has been led to the precipice of paranoia by advertising.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: TheSiege
What are the costs? Experience with it? Just any information if you have any.

For those of you that don't know its banking the stem cells from your child's umbilical cord for a later use.

I think when my wife and I were doing the research on it; it was less then $2000. However, there were really shady companies that do it online so I would recommend checking into a reputable place like viacord.

 

[SilentZero]

Ah damn now you tell me...I am 5 years too late!

 

[An72]

Umbilical storage can cost anywhere from $1,050 to $2,000 as up-front fee and there are recurring charges of $75 to $100 a year for storage. One of the more successful treatments using cord blood is the bone marrow transplant that is utilized for treating leukemia and lymphoma. The other diseases that it can treat include anemia and blood cancer. In cases such as these, umbilical storage can possibly save your child 's life.

 

[Codewiz]

I would recommend you also look into delayed cord clamping. When I was doing my research, I found that it appears that delayed cord clamping had more potential to provide benefit to my child over cord blood banking. You can't do both.

Do you think it is better for your child to get all that blood in their system with the stem cells OR to just bank it?

Considering how rare some of the illnesses are, it makes more sense to delay the cord clamping so the child can get that cord blood pumped in their system and let their young bodies use it now rather than save it for later.

Of course everything goes out the window if something bad happens. We decided on delayed cord clamping. Unfortunately, our baby went into distress. Heartbeat kept dropping during every contraction. Got so low that they had to do an emergency c-section. They tried floating the cord out. They knew what the problem was but couldn't get it fixed so we waited as long as we could.

Ended up being that my son was facing the wrong way and he had the cord wrapped around his neck. Everything turned out ok but we didn't get the delayed cord clamping or the cord blood banked.

You just have to roll with the punches sometimes. AND my son ended up with a bad case of jaundice and had to be in a biliblanket for a week.

 

[StageLeft]

Umbilical storage can cost anywhere from $1,050 to $2,000 as up-front fee and there are recurring charges of $75 to $100 a year for storage. One of the more successful treatments using cord blood is the bone marrow transplant that is utilized for treating leukemia and lymphoma. The other diseases that it can treat include anemia and blood cancer. In cases such as these, umbilical storage can possibly save your child 's life.

And if I buy a lotto ticket on the way to work tomorrow I could be a millionaire. We looked into this for our kids and thought it was mostly a waste of money. We considered the preeminent company at the time doing it and when we looked into their literature out of the thousands of kids who'd had it done something like literally a handful had actually benefited from it. I'd pay a few bucks for it, nothing more. IMO you'll make a greater impact on your kid's life by putting that money into a 529.

Maybe viacord would make more sense if you had genetic issues but for the average person when I read the fine print it was really money in the toilet. There is soooooooo fvcking much money in tapping into new parents' paranoias, though. They will spare no expense to shower their child with nonsense. Case in point you can buy a crib for $100-200. Or you can buy one functionally the same but marginally prettier for $1000, and many parents do. They throw money at their kids in obscene ways.

 

[KentState]

It's free and provided by the government. Don't fall for the companies that charge to do the same service. There was a really good show on PBS about a year ago explaining how these companies prey on the fears of parents.

 

[MrMatt]

And if I buy a lotto ticket on the way to work tomorrow I could be a millionaire. We looked into this for our kids and thought it was mostly a waste of money. We considered the preeminent company at the time doing it and when we looked into their literature out of the thousands of kids who'd had it done something like literally a handful had actually benefited from it. I'd pay a few bucks for it, nothing more. IMO you'll make a greater impact on your kid's life by putting that money into a 529.

Maybe viacord would make more sense if you had genetic issues but for the average person when I read the fine print it was really money in the toilet. There is soooooooo fvcking much money in tapping into new parents' paranoias, though. They will spare no expense to shower their child with nonsense. Case in point you can buy a crib for $100-200. Or you can buy one functionally the same but marginally prettier for $1000, and many parents do. They throw money at their kids in obscene ways.

So wait just because there's a small chance it could save your child's life, you won't do it? Seriously? Who cares if only a handful have been helped. What if your kid would have been one of them..

 

[Vette73]

So wait just because there's a small chance it could save your child's life, you won't do it? Seriously? Who cares if only a handful have been helped. What if your kid would have been one of them..

??? serious

I am guessing you don;t have kids. There are a million things people could do to waste, I mean protect kids. But blood banking is just another money making idea that prays on FUD.

 

[Cogman]

So wait just because there's a small chance it could save your child's life, you won't do it? Seriously? Who cares if only a handful have been helped. What if your kid would have been one of them..

I could also buy a bodyguard for the trip home, because, you know, someone might try and mug me or my child. And don't tell me it doesn't happen!

If safety is your biggest concern then here are the places you should spend your money first on the stuff that has the highest possibility of happening and move down the list until you run out of money. My bet is that "Your kid might develop leukemia and needs the umbilical cord" will be so far down the list that investing a penny in it would be stupid.

You have a higher probability of killing your kid in a car accident than you do of your kid getting leukemia before he is 5. (remember, the umbilical cord doesn't live forever).

 

[rivan]

We looked into it as well and decided against it.

 

[Vette73]

Not sure if its every where btu the hospital my son was born at asked if we would donate it. We did to store it so we donated it. But I think they said there was not enough to use. So kinda a lose but thats another option. It still helps people and would just be medical waste if you don;t.

 

[drquest]

Oh and I just noticed this thread popped up from a reply to one from 2009.

Nevermind....