Cord blood banking
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Category: Pregnant
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15736
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Topic: Cord blood banking
Posted By: Maya
Subject: Cord blood banking
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 1:24pm
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Has anyone else looked at doing this?
I looked at it with Maya, and again with the gremlins, and decided against it ultimately because it is so expensive. But I just interviewed a lady who's son had cerebral palsy and was cured by a transfusion of his own cord blood stem cells and she put it into an interesting perspective - we pay an annual fee to insure our cars, our houses, our contents, why wouldn't we pay to insure our children's health? It's certainly made me think twice, now I feel almost COMPELLED to do it, especially with advances in technology that are expanding the uses for stem cells, and the possibilty of using them for siblings if they are compatible. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Replies:
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 1:33pm
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We did it, they have finance options. We had to pay $450 up front and then the rest was on credit (about another $2000). We actually managed to save that money though and payed it in full. I had took the maternity option which meant that we didn't start paying for 6 months.
Worth every penny as far as we are concerned and no question we will be doing it with the next one too. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 1:36pm
| Where can u get it done? What happens if u arent in Auck or a big city? |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 1:39pm
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I think you can get it done anywhere, the lady I interviewed said that if your LMC doesn't know how to do it, Cord Bank will provide a trained nurse at your delivery to collect the cord blood. Cord Bank provides you with a kit with everything you need to do it. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 1:48pm
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Yep you pay a storage fee each year which is $150 or you can pay to have it stored for 18 years at a lower fee.
We are in chch the pack got couried to us, my mw refused to do the training so cord bank arranged for another lady to be present to do the collection and then it got urgent couried back to Auckland. If you midwife agrees to do the training (most do as they get paid for doing the collection) the cordbank train them and it doesn't cost any extra. They have a website which explains everything. http://www.cordbank.co.nz/ -------------
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 2:48pm
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Under nz law it can only be used for the person who is was taken from but they are pushing for that law to be changed so that it can be used for other family members especially siblings where the compatability is higher.
Is such a shame with the laws over here, in England you can just choose to donate the stem cells and it doesn't cost anything. (I think it costs if you choose to store privately though). We would have donated them if it was an option here. -------------
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 2:57pm
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I asked the lady that and she said that you can get ethics committee approval here to use it for siblings, but that blood type isn't an indicator of compatibility, it's something called HLA, but there is a higher rate of compatibility between siblings than non relatives. Which is a bugger as all 3 of mine are A+ if only it were that simple. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 3:02pm
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Yeah, but you KNOW it's a definite match for at least one of them so it's not a total gamble. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Nefertiti
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 3:41pm
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It says it currently used to treat 45 diseases.
Is it affected if the baby is already born with one of those disorders (that was not previously known)...will is still help the child? I also read this: What if it doesn"t go ahead? Sometimes it´s not possible to collect 25 ml or more of cord blood, or sometimes the blood cannot be collected for other reasons. If the collection doesn"t go ahead for any reason, you will be refunded all but your initial $500 registration fee. I think that sucks...especially if the person wasn't able to collect 25mls in the first place. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 3:48pm
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Blood typing indicates the type of antigens expressed on red blood cells only, whereas stem cells (which are the 'magic' multi-purpose cells obtained from cord blood) are different and express different markers on their surface that every other cell in our bodies also expresses (namely HLA - human leukocyte antigens). There are many many markers, but I think they test for the major 10-20 of them when doing things like matching bone marrow donors etc.
Any stem cells that are able to be used later on in your child's life (touch wood it never needs to happen!) will probably only be suitable for that child (unless a sibling has a high rate of matching for the HLA's). And then as previously said, the ethics approval would still have to be obtained. I think it's a great idea, although slightly costly! 
Edited to add: re: Nefertiti's comment - I'm not sure about that either. In theory if your child is born with a genetic disorder, the stem cells in the cord blood may well also have the same problem.... I might have to do some more research before I decide whether to go for it or not... -------------  
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Posted By: Nefertiti
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 4:03pm
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I would say though that if they are able to treat the condidtion, then the baby was obviously predisposed to that condition..
And then...how much does it cost to actually get it out and then cost of using it if its needed... Here's a video clip from the site cuppatea posted: http://www.cordbank.co.nz/breakingnews.htm - http://www.cordbank.co.nz/breakingnews.htm ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 4:08pm
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The child who's mother I interviewed had Cerebral Palsy which is a brain injury rather than a disease, but I know they can also be used to treat leukaemia in childhood which is something that develops rather than being born with it, but I'm not sure about pre-existing conditions that they are born with. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 4:59pm
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Nerfertiti, there are lots of reasons why they can't collect the sample, be it an emergency at the birth, they aren't able to get enough blood or if the mum has HIV or hepatitus then they just throw it away as well. What you have to remember though is that they have already sent you a pack full off all the vials needles etc, they have paid for someone to be trained and also they pay the mw to do the collection ($120) for the urgent courier to take it to auckland and for there lab to process it, that's what the $500 covers and I really don't think that they could refund it. I actually think considering what is involved they are justified in making that portion of it non refundable.
I don't know about pre-existing conditions either, but I do that new research means that more and more things are being able to be cured using them and even so 45 is better than none. -------------
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Posted By: Nefertiti
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 5:12pm
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Well I guess when its an emergency...but still.
And if the mum had HIV or hepatitis, then this would hopefully have been picked up in earlier blood tests before baby is born. Despite all their admin cost, I was not aware that they send out a pack full of vials and needles etc... I guess I'd just be frustrated if the trained person was not able to collect the 25mls if there was not an emergency, and I still had to pay. Just my point of view anyway  ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 5:26pm
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Yeah it would be annoying and I would have been gutted if it happened to us but they do really make sure that you are aware it can happen. There are other things that the mum can have as well but HIV and hepatitus were the two that I remembered. -------------
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Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 5:51pm
| Thats disgusting (the price) It should be free :/ Theres no way we'll be able to afford to do that! |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 5:56pm
Yeah it should be free, good luck convincing parliament that though -------------
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Posted By: Paws
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 6:53pm
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It would be nice if it was free or at least subsidised!
We looked at it last time but the price stopped us...we'd consider it with number 2 though, especially with me now bringing in more money could be an option when the time comes. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 7:07pm
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I like that they have a payment plan too, they never had that when I had Maya. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 7:50pm
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Yeah I think we would have struggled without the payment plan, plus we found out about it early into the pregnancy so was able to just add cord blood banking to the massive list of all the stuff we had to get and then budgeted for the weekly payments as well.
Funny this came up today cos when DH came in with the post there was a newsletter from Cordblood about different cases, think one must be the story of the lady who you have interviewed from what you have said. -------------
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 7:54pm
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More than likely, it was Cordbloods PR agency that set up the interview ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 9:26pm
I was keen to get it but the price put us off  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 28 March 2008 at 10:33pm
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We didn't do this because of the price with DD. Just way out of our price range.
I'm going to have to think about it for this one, though. Have to think rather quickly! Not that our financial situation has changed much, but I'm the same as you Emma, her comment about insurance really got to me.------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: kezplanet
Date Posted: 31 March 2008 at 1:37am
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We did it with Ashlyn, at the time they didn't have the payment plans so it was a bit of a struggle but we worked it out and we insure our house, cars & contents so figure is was only fair to insure our babies. Just think in a few years time if your child needs a transplant of some sort and they have perfected how to do it from blood cells that have been stored in case of an emengency. I read the article about the woman in the news letter. She must feel sooooo blessed that they have been able to help her young man and that they still have him with them. There are a few different payment options, the cost of setting it all up wasn't the easy but we felt it was worth it. ------------- Kerryn, Mum to Ashlyn(29/3/04), Anastasia(1/11/05) & Abigail (24/02/09) |
Posted By: Mama2two
Date Posted: 31 March 2008 at 7:33am
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I really wish we had known more about this before Samantha was born. We couldn't have afforded it anyway, but would have found a way.
This is a scary topic for us as DH's big brother died of Leukemia when he was 5 ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: kezplanet
Date Posted: 31 March 2008 at 12:42pm
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Yes there needs to be more advertising out in the public, they usually do have a stand at the parent & child shows also ------------- Kerryn, Mum to Ashlyn(29/3/04), Anastasia(1/11/05) & Abigail (24/02/09) |
Posted By: cat007
Date Posted: 01 April 2008 at 12:56pm
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There definately needs to be more advertising for the public. With the cost of the process - the company, Cordbank, is a private company and as far as Im aware does not get funding from the government. As the procedures undertaken to test the cord blood, preserve and then store it can use a lot of equipment, reagents and other treatments to the blood, it may explain why the initial set-up costs so much.
We will consider it but aren't sure yet as to whether we will do it. If money wasnt an issue I would do it without a doubt - it is just so worth it. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  [/url http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 29 April 2008 at 10:08am
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Bump -------------
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Posted By: Roksana
Date Posted: 29 April 2008 at 7:28pm
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thanks!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 18 July 2009 at 11:47am
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Just bumping again... Does anyone have any further thoughts on this? Who else besides cuppatea has done it?
I guess I find it hard to shell out $5k for something I'll probably never need, but on the other hand, if it does turn out to be something we needed, I would have paid that 10 times over
We can put the $5k against our mortgage easily enough, but its still a lot of money, and we have to pay that mortgage back eventually . Especially because we want 2-3 kids, so really we are talking $10-15k. Eeek.
For those that have done it, was the collection process intrusive at all at delivery? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 18 July 2009 at 5:03pm
| I would of LOVE to do this, unfortunately the price has always put me off, and with aidans delivery it wouldn't of been able to be done anyway |
Posted By: Febgirl
Date Posted: 18 July 2009 at 8:15pm
We did it last year with DD. My mum's idea, she was rather insistent about it, and split the cost with us. It's not intrusive at all, Cordbank send you a collection kit which you need to take to hospital with you. I think (but could be wrong) that you need to have a managed 3rd stage of labour to collect it, i.e. have the injection to deliver the placenta. From my understanding, once the placenta has been delivered that's when the cord blood is syringed. I didn't even see the midwife doing it, was too busy with DD to even notice. Once it's been collected you call a free phone number and the courier picks it up within an hour or less - again not sure of the details, DH and midwife did this part. I'm not sure if they can collect the blood if you have a c-section though, and my midwife did say that if there were any complications with the birth, baby and I came first and they may not be able to collect the blood in an emergency situation etc. ------------- Two little girls under 2! 
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T_Rex wrote:Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 19 July 2009 at 6:03am
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My first was c/s and the cordblood was collected. My friend had emergency c/s and hers was still collected as well (although it wasn't an emergency emergency just she got to 10cm but baby wouldn't come out cos he was in wrong position or too big or both). With a c/s they just collect the blood before the OB removes the placenta, I believe they give you the same drug as a managed third stage but it goes in via your drip instead so you don't notice it happen.
Yep they give you the pack which you take to the hospital then after your mw has done the collection your support person rings the courier and they come pick it up asap, both times with us they have been there within about 40 mins and DH has just popped down to reception to meet them. We didn't pay $5k out right, we paid $2.5k and then we are paying the storage fees annually, it works out more in the long run but we didn't have $5k to pay up front. I figure that we spend heaps of money on other crap that we definitely don't need and this is something I hope we never need but feel reassured that we have it and really is no different to any other insurance that we have except there was a large initial layout. But really when you are spending hundreds on cots, bassinets, strollers, carseats, clothes and the endless number of other things you need it's not hard to budget this in. We just bought a lot of 2nd hand things and shopped for bargains to save in other areas. And with Kyle we just slapped it on the good old credit card and then used DH's overtime to pay it off  -------------
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Posted By: yermasyada
Date Posted: 19 July 2009 at 9:13am
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I think this is something we'll do.
I'd seen it a few months ago and wasn't too sure because I wasn't convinced that medical procedures were advanced enough to take advantage of it. That was until I saw the article in the North Shore Times last week, which pretty much made my mind up. It's expensive, but no more so than 18 years of home insurance. Milliemoo |
Posted By: YvetteandElla
Date Posted: 19 July 2009 at 11:42am
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Oh I would love to read a copy of the article, We are seriously thinking about doing this, however my question is as we did not do it with DD1 what would we do if she need stem cells and she was not a match with this DD2. Can you go overseas etc ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 19 July 2009 at 7:29pm
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Under current nz law you can only use the cordblood for the child it was collected from, which means you can't use it for another sibling or for yourselves. That may change in the future as it's not inline with what other countries do.
In the US and UK you can donate cord blood rather than have it collected for your own child, I would think it unlikely though that you would be able to access those banks from here as I expect the demand for them would already be high in those countries. Cordbank have a website www.cordbank.co.nz, the article might be on there. -------------
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