Over the past few years the option to save and store baby's cord blood has become a desired option for parents. More and more private cord blood banks offer their services from saving cord blood to placenta tissue. As all these institutions are selling their services on their website, it is sometimes hard to find an objective opinion and research about the topic.

The procedure itself is quite simple. As soon as a baby is born, the blood will be taken from the umbilical cord and frozen for future use.

Family Banking of your baby's cord blood: The collection of your baby's cord blood is not painful nor harmful to your newborn baby and can only be done once, at birth. If you choose to store it for personal use with a private institution, they will prepare all the necessary procedures and paperwork for you. Your baby's cord blood will be frozen and can be used by your family in case you will ever need it. Storage plans can be modified to your personal needs such as 10 and up to 25 years and come with a feisty price tag up to 10.000$SG (100,000,000.00 IDR).

Cord Blood Donation: Another option instead of Family Banking is to donate your baby's cord blood to a public cord blood bank. The service is in most countries free. The blood will be stored and registered into a global bank and can be accessed by any patient in need. Once you donate your baby's cord blood you will not be able to access it anymore for personal use. (Technically, if you will be in need of your baby's specific cord blood and have donated it, if it is still available and unused by any previous patient you might be able to access it again).

Cord Blood and religious traditions: Many different cultures and religions have their own post-natal traditions. Some bury the placenta, some burn it and some simply discard it. Many muslims bury the placenta and are of the belief that due to religious beliefs they are not able to donate a baby's cord blood. For more detailed information you may click this link : https://www.muis.gov.sg/-/media/Files/OOM/Irsyad/English/Commonly-Asked-Questions--on-Cord-Blood-Donations-by-Muslims.pdf

What is your baby's cord blood used for?

Many experts believe it’s highly unlikely your child will actually need his or her own cord blood for treatment in the future. According to an editorial in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, the chances are about 1 in 2,700. Similarly, the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation state currently less than 4/100th of one percent. However, the AAP suggests it’s more like 1 in 200,000. This is especially true if there is no family history of diseases such as leukemia or sickle cell anaemia. There are limits in terms of what cord blood can be used to treat. If your baby gets sick, a donor transplant will likely be needed, rather than his or her own cells. For example, if your baby were born with a genetic condition, such as spina bifida, her stem cells would carry this condition as well and therefore couldn’t be used to treat her. Similarly with leukemia, the stem cells may already have pre-leukemic changes. Currently, cord blood can only treat blood and immune diseases. There is research being done into other ways of using cord blood, such as in the treatment of diabetes, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, but there is no conclusive evidence this research will lead to effective treatments. In short, your baby's cord blood is more likely to help a sibling instead of your baby, which you should keep in mind for future family planning. - See more at: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/cord-blood-banking-pros-cons/

My personal opinion and decision: After doing the research and gathering as much objective information as we could gather, my husband and I have decided to not store baby's cord blood for personal use and donate it instead to the Singapore Cord Blood Bank. The process so far has been very smooth and easy. I registered online and had to answer a questionnaire about my husband's and my medical history to see if we were eligible for donation. After the online registration a representative from the SCCB called to set up a meeting to sign a consent form. Conveniently it was possible to set up the meeting in the hospital at the same time with my next doctor's appointment. Once the consent form has been signed, there is nothing left to do for you. After delivery, the cord blood of your baby will be immediately stored and delivered to SCBB. For more information visit: https://www.scbb.com.sg/

Dear Mamas, feel free to share your comments, opinions and information in the comment section for other mamas as well. If you know where to donate cord blood in Indonesia please feel free to share!

Cord Blood Banking, is it worth it?