 Dear Parents, I have bad news. . . being a successful parent is not easy. It starts even before your baby is born and requires you to be pro-active. Being a successful parent has nothing to do with social class, it has to do with caring and standing up for what is right for you and your child. You have to be your child’s voice and ask the right questions, get the right information, connect with the right people who can help you. Cord blood banking is one of those topics that overwhelms people. Many hospitals are still not connected with the National Public Cord Bank Inventory and so the option of cord blood donation is never brought up during pre-natal visits. In many cases, the issue is simply funding sometimes or the hospital putting priority on other programs. In hospitals where there is no pre-existing program, parents often get shut down when trying to find out more about cord blood. In the worst cases, it is just not even mentioned. Let’s face it. . . while public donation programs are free for you to donate to they still involve costs to the public system and the logistics involved can be complicated depending on the location of your hospital and their particular partnership at the state level with the national public bank. In hospitals where public donation is an option there is often a much more pro-active approach by doctors and staff to educate parents about this option and even private banking options. The truth is that regardless of where you live (especially in the US) you have lots of cord blood banking options:
If you do nothing, when your baby is born another cord will just be thrown away as medical waste when it could be used to help someone. That someone could be a stranger thousands of miles away or that someone could be someone in your family. Today, cord blood stem cells are being used to treat numerous diseases. Get the facts on cord blood via this short video: Save the Cord Foundation works with both public and private cord blood banking groups. As a non-commercial and unbiased foundation focused on cord blood education, we don’t endorse any particular private bank over another because we realize that parents have different needs. However, we do encourage parents to be PRO-ACTIVE about saving their child’s cord blood. Whether you choose to donate or private bank your child’s cord blood, it is certain that you will have to be pro-active about getting the medical team on board, filling out a form or two, making sure you have what you need for the day you give birth (hint: you will need the collection kit!). Yes, this is one of the most empowering decisions you will make as a parents. It is the first of many to come. Be prepared to stay on your toes! Congratulations, you are now a successful parent! Birth is empowering. Let it empower you!
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February 2021
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