At MiracleCord, we take cord blood banking very seriously. Cord blood saves lives, and has been for over thirty years, but many people don’t know this and think it’s a new, experimental process.
Today we’re taking a look at some serious misconceptions commonly associated with cord blood, umbilical cord tissue, and cord blood banking.
Myth #1: Cord Blood Banking Can Harm Your Baby
This is an understandable concern for many parents, and luckily one that is completely unfounded! Cord Blood is collected after the baby is born, and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. There is absolutely no harm, risk or pain to the baby or mother.
Cord Blood collection can be performed with both vaginal births and cesarean (c-section) deliveries. Also, parents do not have to choose between delayed cord clamping and cord blood banking as one does not preclude the other.1
Myth #2: Cord Blood Can Only Be Used to Benefit Your Your Baby
Many people think that banking cord blood only has the potential to save your baby’s life, but this isn’t true. In fact, banked cord blood has a high probability of matching siblings and parents as well. This means that cord blood banking can provide protection for your entire family.
Your baby’s cord blood has a greater than 50% chance of matching full siblings (i.e.; from the same two parents as the baby) ,and parents have a 25% chance of a match. The good news is that the cord blood recipient doesn’t have to be a perfect match for a stem cell transplant to be successful. Cord blood matching is based on HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigens) typing markers - and a person typically only needs to match 4 of 6 HLA markers to qualify as a match that is suitable for transplant.
Myth #3: Donating to a Public Cord Blood Bank is Free and Reliable
More than 80 percent of all donated cord blood units are not saved for future use.2 If you donate your baby’s cord blood to a public bank, it is unlikely that your baby’s stem cells will be available to your family in the event a life threatening medical condition should arise.
With private cord blood banking, you can ensure that if a family member falls ill in the future, you child’s cord blood is ready and waiting and will be a perfect match for the child that the stem cells came from and a high probability of a match for siblings and parents. There is no need to wait months, or even years in hopes of finding a match in a public bank, when their life is at risk today.
That’s the real benefit of MiracleCord... Secure, effective, and safe umbilical cord blood banking and cord tissue banking, so when a family member’s life is on the line, you’re not waiting in line for treatment.
Myth #4: You Can’t Bank Cord Blood Without Breaking the Bank
Medical procedures as a whole have a reputation for being very expensive and unaffordable, and to many, the idea of cryogenically storing a newborn’s cord blood and umbilical cord tissue stem cells may seem like a costly endeavor. However, cord blood banking with Miraclecord is quite affordable with plans starting as low as as low as $99/month for just 12 months and then $150/year after the first year.
Since cord blood banking has been around for more than 20 years, there has been ample time for the process to become affordable for people living on even the most modest budgets. When it comes to investing in your family’s health, there’s no safer, more effective, or more affordable option.
Contact MiracleCord today to include banking your newborn’s cord blood and cord tissue stem cells in your birth plan.
