Page 1 of Umbilical Cord/Blood Storage????

The wife and I are expecting our first child by the end of november. We are toying with the idea of keeping our child`s umbilical cord frozen, should any complication arises. A quick internet search reveals an approximate cost of £1,200 for 20-25 years storage.

Among all the stuff we`ve got to buy for the baby everyday necessities (car seat, pushair, nappies, etc), we`d have to dig really deep into our pockets to be able to afford it.

Is it really worth it?

Is anybody there who has considered this before?

I`d appreciatte any comments.

Um, I don`t know about such things, which makes me wonder...

...is this in case you need to stick it back inside your wife later?

Otherwise, what use would it be? :)

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Congrats!!!

Most probably your kid will never need it, so it`ll be a needless expense - but of course if s/he did, then it`d be worth every penny and then some.

If you can`t afford it now then don`t, obviously there are more urgent expenses at the moment - and maybe save up and freeze it from the next kid you have - cells have been donated from siblings before (well definitely more than the kid`s *own* cord).

Have a word with your doctor - I think if it was something they`d recommend then they`d be doing it as a matter of course (though I think eventually it will be - it`d be astronomically expensive, but surely cheaper than other treatments).

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This item was edited on Wednesday, 13th October 2004, 00:16

Firstly congrats to you and your wife on your firstborn (for November) :)

Secondly, as it is your first child, life as you know it will change forever. ;) Trust me, you won`t have the money to bother about uneccesary things (unless you are well off) and you will often wonder how you are going to afford everything such as nappies, food, clothes etc. No amount of saving can prepare you for the cost of children! :o

Thirdly, I agree with xfilesgurly in that if your doctor thought it was necessary they would have let you know rather than leaving it as a choice.

*Update in my haste to follow RJS I forgot Congratulations to you both*

A tough choice for those with family histories of problems that require corrective surgery later in life (transplants etc) I would say yes its possibly worth it.

As a couple with no longstanding problems that would require such I wouldnt spend the money, however if such a choice had been available at the time of my childrens birth my answer might have been different.

The money in my view is a bet against the future to ensure the childs health (& hopefully not required).

Having said that at the time of my daughter birth, two "normal" parents adjacent to us with normal children from different partners, produced a child that was severely handicapped, the doctors said at the time, that their combined genetic mix was the worst they had ever seen, but no amount of transplants would ever make that poor childs life quality of life any better. :(



There are 10 types of people in the world - Those who understand binary and those who don`t.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 13th October 2004, 00:08

Quote:
doctors said at the time, that their combined genetic mix was the worst they had ever seen

That`s terrible. Poor little baby. Don`t they test for that sort of stuff (incompatibility etc)?

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::soundalikes.com::

unfortunately, a lot of kids nowadays just happen - not planned etc. unless you are planning on having kids, you wouldn`t go thru a genetic check, as, by the time you think about having a kid together, you have already missed 3 periods.

the check itself is full of issues and complications - some can have miscarriages as a result of the blood sampling itself.

and, life is not a guarantee. you play the hand you are given.

personally, us toying with nature is gonna have bad results. and it is a bomb that was can`t defuse - take GM for example. we have NO idea how much of an effect altering one gene will have long-term. sure - it may produce a chicken that doesn`t need to be plucked, and that`s the immediate aim, but what happens down the line when it turns out that that gene not only controlled the feathers, but also prevented a certain disease due to the very presence of feathers, and that this disease can be passed onto humans. what then?

we haven`t learned from our mistakes yet, and i don`t know what it will take. a case and point being BSE - we (humans) took animals that were vegetarian by nature, and not only made them carnivores by making them eat meat in the feeds, but made them cannibals at the same time (sheep and cows eating sheep and cows). is it a wonder that they ended up the way they did? yet we want to keep messing with nature. the arrogance of man and mankind!

playing with matches in a firework factory caused a huge explosion in china that blew off a mushroom cloud recently. that`s what we are doing here. stupidly tho, we just take the matches to another factory instead of quitting smoking.

that`s my tuppence anyway. i`ll get off my soapbox now.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 13th October 2004, 02:38

Quote:
unfortunately, a lot of kids nowadays just happen - not planned etc. unless you are planning on having kids, you wouldn`t go thru a genetic check.

the check itself is full of issues and complications - some can have miscarriages as a result of the blood sampling itself.

Yep, but I mean genetic testing of the mother and father before or after conception, not the baby.

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::soundalikes.com::

This item was edited on Wednesday, 13th October 2004, 02:39

As I said, XFG, both of the parents already had normal kids from different partners, it was their particular combination that was the trouble, both my daughter & their son were in ICU for a week, & we saw her in town fairly often afterwards & always stopped for a chat.

Ironically after we swapped contact details, we never saw or heard from them again.




There are 10 types of people in the world - Those who understand binary and those who don`t.

genetic testing of mother and father wouldnt mean squat. eg parents whose first kid is normal does not mean their next kid will also be normal. just not the way it works. too many external elements as well as internal elements. i kinda get what you mean but it is not possible because of these other factors.