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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Freezing the umbilical cord - any views?

18 replies

ninedragons · 28/09/2007 12:45

I am pretty sure that the baby I'm carrying at the moment will be an only child. One of my close friends had leukaemia a few years ago, which made me think about what this baby would do if she didn't have any siblings who could possibly provide tissue/marrow matches.

Has anyone had the umbilical cord frozen and stored? I would love to hear from any medical researchers about whether it's a just a way to fleece paranoid parents, or if it could actually be useful to her one day.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

NoNameToday · 28/09/2007 12:56

Oh ninedragons,how sad to be thinking of possible illnesses for the baby who you are still carrying!

NoCuddles · 28/09/2007 12:58

I think it's good to look towards the future even if it isn't a very nice thing to think about.
Cant help though ninedragons as this is the first time I have heard about it, but I hope you get some answers soon.

belgo · 28/09/2007 13:01

You can ask for the umbilical cord blood to be saved and frozen - but I think it may go into a storage bank and it's possible it may be available for use for other children.

You'll have to be clear when you ask.

Also, in my case, there wasn't enough blood in the cord to store.

missbumpy · 28/09/2007 13:47

Also, I've heard that this is something that they won't do routinely on the NHS so you would have to organise your own private midwife or someone to do it for you. Is it called Cord Blood Banking?

Loopymumsy · 28/09/2007 14:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

ninedragons · 28/09/2007 16:59

Thanks very much for the references. There are some sites mentioned in the other thread that I shall have to look at. I'm not in the UK and there is a private company here that does the whole collection/freezing/storage process. I'm interested in whether there are likely to be any valid medical uses for cord blood in the future.

I assume NoNameToday will be off to the threads discussing baby capsules and car seats to say how sad it is that people are thinking of possible car accidents for the babies they're still carrying. Nine minutes from posting to first judgmental response! To celebrate I think I shall go and split a bottle of vodka with the woman who wanted to find a flight nanny to help her take her child to Australia, and got roundly flamed.

OP posts:

NoNameToday · 29/09/2007 08:41

Hi ninedragons

I'm sorry you interpreted my response and the use of the word 'sad' as judgemental.

It was a genuine comment, not meant to be in any way judgemental.

Your response to my genuine feeling of sadness was sarcastic and certainly not open to any misinterpretaion.

I hope you have a wonderful pregnancy and a safe divery of a healthy baby.

Ambi · 29/09/2007 15:32

I'm sure i read somewhere that Virgin do it, as a health bank or something. I've thought about it but assumed it cost thousands (which we don't have atm) I think's it's quite big in America too, storing stem cells.

DaisyMOO · 29/09/2007 16:17

If you title a thread with the words 'any views?' included don't be surprised if you get some people who have a different POV to yours! There's certainly no call to be rude.

Something else to consider is that there is some evidence that delayed cord clamping is beneficial to the baby as they get more blood back from the placenta, which can be particularly helpful if they are compromised in some way during birth. If you want to store the cord blood then you have to clamp immediately and so the baby misses out on this extra blood.

Mintpurple · 29/09/2007 17:13

Hi Ninedragons

I agree with you that you should not have to justify any decisions you make on here, or be afraid to post in case you get 'flamed'. We come on to this site to get and give advice, and for the midwives here like myself, to keep abreast of what women want and how current thinking is going.
All it achieves is make others afraid to post... (end of rant)

As for the cord donation, in most NHS trusts, the staff are not covered to help take the cord blood, although some m/ws will help the dad to take the blood, while other collection companies will supply a 'collector' to come to l/w and take the blood. I see it as a sort of insurance policy and hopefully it will never be needed, but for £1000, its difficult to ignore if you can afford it. With the advances in stem cell research, it is certainly worth doing.

Where are you at the moment, as I know some Australian hospitals have 'Cord Blood Banks' where the hospital will collect cord blood (with consent) for their own bank, and so this is more 'mainstream'.

Good luck

NoNameToday · 29/09/2007 17:51

Sorry mintpurple, but where in my post did you see anything resembling 'flaming'?

Having looked at other posts I cannot see that you could mean anyone else.

Maybe I'm wrong.

As was the OP in her interpretation of my post.

Mintpurple · 29/09/2007 18:21

Noname - I did not mention anything about you or your post, and was actually commenting on ninedragons post of 16.59, so stop feeling all defensive and sensitive. If I had a comment to you I would have addressed you as I have done here.

I just get a bit fed up with people being 'flamed' as ninedragons put it (or roundly critisized) for airing their views.
For example, what is wrong with having a flight nanny to help if you can afford it? Having done the trip to Australia with young children (several times) I can assure you that its no fun at all - any help would be fantastic - why should the poster get critisized for asking about it? And if thats how she wants to spend her money then good on her.

To get back to your last post, I dont think you are flaming or even critisizing ninedragons OP, but I think she is taking it
as a negative comment, while her fears are actually quite real. It might be sad to think of your house being robbed for example, so you have insurance. Children do get sick and if an insurance policy is available in the form of cord blood donation, then why not. Sad or not, it is reality.

I would have donated too if it had been available when my kids were born.

Sorry about the length and OT-ness of this post.

NoNameToday · 29/09/2007 18:29

Thanks for the response Mintpurple, although to be fair, I don't feel defensive or sensitive.

I do however feel that people are far too quick to jump in as did the OP which reulted in your 'flamed' comment.

Pregnancy hormones? but then that would be judgemental.

NoNameToday · 29/09/2007 18:33

Forgot the 'flaming' smiley

Mintpurple · 29/09/2007 18:33

jabberwocky · 29/09/2007 18:37

we stored cord blood with both of our children. I think it's one of those things just give us as parents an extra sense of security. You simply never know what will happen and they are still discovering uses for cord blood.

I am in the US and is a fairly simple matter to have it collected at the hospital then shipped to the storage bank. You sign up and get a special collecting kit beforehand.

and, fwiw NoName, I don't know how you intended for your comment to be taken, but I read it just as ninedragons did.

NoNameToday · 29/09/2007 18:49

Thanks jabberwocky for another point of view.

I will try and ensure any future posts are not open to misinterpretation.

It was not my intention to be in any way confrontational but I have learned a lesson.

Rachee · 29/09/2007 19:32

I am looking into blood cord storage too, there seems to be alot to consider, like how much they charge to withdraw the cord, how long it will be stored for , any gaurantee's with the freezer breaking.
It costs between £1,200 and £1,700. for about 25 years storage.
the debate for me is how much do i value my childs life , £1,700 is cheap..... but if it is never needed, what a waste of money which could have been invested.....
I am 80 % sure we will do it
xXx

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