The blood from an umbilical cord contains stem cells that are capable of transforming into many different types of cells in the body. Umbilical cord blood can be collected and stored in a cord blood bank for possible later use. While the pros of cord blood banking are widely touted, there are some cons to consider before deciding whether or not to store a baby's cord blood.
Procedure
Banking cord blood involves taking the blood from the umbilical cord immediately after birth. Parents may choose to bank their child's cord blood in case the child develops a disease in the future that needs stem cells transplanted from the blood. They may also choose to donate the blood to a public bank for use in people suffering from diseases such as leukemia or for use in medical research.
Cost
Banking cord blood can be expensive. According to Parents.com, the initial banking costs at a private cord bank run from $1,000 to $2,000 and storage fees average around $100 a year. Many parents cannot afford the cost of cord blood banking, especially since this procedure is typically not covered by insurance. Public cord banking is free, but there is no guarantee that the blood will be available for a particular child's use in the future.
Usefulness
The statistics on how useful cord blood may be for the baby in the future vary widely. According to Parents.com, a given child has somewhere between a one in 1,000 to one in 200,000 chance of developing a disease that can be helped by using his stored blood.
Infant Health
Evidence is rapidly accumulating which suggests that waiting for a while before clamping the umbilical cord is better for the newborn baby. According to MedlinePlus, delaying the clamping procedure for 30 seconds or more allows this blood to flow back into the newborn and lowers the risk of anemia, bleeding in the brain and blood infections. Babies who get more of their cord blood returned to their bodies also require fewer blood transfusions. Unfortunately, delayed cord clamping leaves little blood in the umbilical cord for collection since most of the blood that would normally be retrieved returns to the newborn's body. Because cord blood banking requires that blood be taken as soon after birth as possible and necessitates that the blood be in the cord, not in the baby, the procedure is incompatible with delayed cord clamping.
Considerations
Parents with other children who have a disease that can be treated using cord blood may opt to store their infant's cord blood to be used in that individual's treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against private banking in any other circumstances but supports public banking since it can help save the lives of people who need stem cell transplants.
