Donating Cord Blood

This is something new we are trying this preganancy. There is plenty of companies that would like you to think that you must privately bank your babies cord blood in case of illness in the future. The cost is over $2000 plus an annual fee to keep the blood. The truth is that unless there is some sort of risk in your family you probably will not need to use it, and even if your child did get sick and need stem cells, there are other ways to get them, such as bone marrow. David and I discussed it and decided to look into donating the cord blood to a public bank instead. We chose a company that accepts donations from anywhere and it is free. They even had a short quiz on their website to help you decide if you are at risk and should privately bank or not a risk and donate. It is sort of a lot of paperwork though. I had to fill out an extensive health questionaire, sign it several times and get my Dr. to sign it. Then it had to be approved by the center. Once approved they sent me a kit with all the medical equipment in it to take to the hospital during the delivery. We are responsible for calling the center during labor and after delivery. Then filling out more paperwork afterward and ensuring that the kit is picked up by courier. We don't get anything out of it, but it is nice to think that the cord blood could save someone's life.