How is cord blood stored?
So how can a new parent take advantage of these medical breakthroughs for their newborn?
After cord blood is collected it must be stored in a cord blood bank. Cord blood banks fall into two categories, public and private.
Private Cord Blood Banks
Private cord banks are recommended for newborns who have a family history of specific genetic diseases, or for parents who want to provide their newborn with every possible medical advantage in fighting diseases of the blood and immune system (leukemia, for example). Babycenter.com hosts more information on private cord blood banks.
Be aware that some for-profit blood banks will accept cord blood donations for free with the hope of reselling them. This may keep your baby’s cord blood from certain patients in need, but will not prevent your baby’s cord blood from benefiting the general public good, including medical research.
The Cord Blood Donor Foundation offers helpful information on evaluating price and quality of cord blood banks on their website.
The website a Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood hosts a lengthy list of cord blood banks broken down by type (public/private) and region.
