Who should store our baby's cord blood?

March 4, 2008 8:51 PM

Who is the best cord blood bank?

I'd like to enlist your experiences with cord blood banks. Who's easiest to deal with? Can we count on the cord blood being available no matter if the bank suffers financial hardships? Cost is an issue as well but that's not to say I want the cheapest bank I can find. Ideally I'd like to find a good balance between ease of use, dependability, and cost.

posted by sublivious to health (4 comments total)

It really depends on what you mean--public or private cord blood banking?
posted by gramcracker at 9:39 PM on March 4

I'd like to save the cord blood for our daughter. This question isn't pertaining to donation. Does that make it clearer?
posted by sublivious at 5:44 AM on March 5

I researched this in advance of the birth of my son last fall, and I chose CBR. They're the biggest cord blood bank and have the most experience doing transplants for the widest variety of diseases/conditions. They're not cheap, but frankly private cord blood banking is still a luxury item, so price was not the determining factor here; I was more concerned about the company's reputation and experience, especially since there's a slightly higher than normal chance that a family member of mine may need those stem cells some day.
posted by Asparagirl at 11:55 AM on March 5

I assume you're set in your decision to bank the cord blood, sublivious, yes?
posted by delfuego at 12:08 PM on March 5