Fredericksburg
Fall 2007

October 6, 2007

Fredericksburg
Expo Center

Fredericksburg
Spring 2008

March 8, 2008

Fredericksburg
Expo Center

You Could Win!

Two lucky winners will receive a copy of Baby Bargains by Denise Fields and Alan Fields!

Join us for the upcoming show:

Fun activities for the whole family

Meet Disney’s JoJo and Dora the Explorer

Meet the Soccer Superstars of the FC Gunner Team

AND so much more!

Plus, get great information from:

Arbonne International

B101.5

Babies R Us

Balloons in Bloom

Clear Sight Ultrasound, Inc

Cookie Lee Independent Consultant

Cooksey Keepsakes

Cord Blood Registry

Creative Childcare

Creative Memories

Discovery Toys

DiscoveryMax

Essential Bodywear

Giggles & Wiggles

Gold Canyon Candles

HauteMomz

Himalayan Goji Juice

Huntington Learning Center

Image Is Everything

It's Hip to Be Round

Juice Plus

Kids N Motion

La Leche League

Life Long Memories Photography

Living with Kids and Dogs

Magical Vacations

Mary Kay

Mona Vie

New York Life

Paramount Builders

Portrait Excellence by Beverly

Regency Park Sports Center

Rose Photography

Sensaria Natural Bodycare

Smart Mom, LLC

The Freelance Star

The Goddard School

The Hoffman Agency (Allstate)

The Rainville Agency

Tiger Martial Arts

Usborne Books at Home

Young Chef's Academy

August 2007

The Facts About Cord Blood Banking

Cord blood banking is a topic of interest for many expectant parents, physicians and medical groups. Due to the limited, one-time collection ability and number of illnesses cord blood can be used to treat, many parents take the decision whether to bank very seriously.

Despite the importance of the issue, many parents don’t feel completely informed about the cord blood banking process or its benefits. For example, in a recent study in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, Dr. Jordan Perlow reported that a majority of the 63 percent of prenatal parents who knew about cord blood felt they were minimally informed, and only 14 percent were educated by their physician.¹

To help demystify the topic, following are some basic facts about cord blood banking, the collection process, and how cord blood can be preserved.

Why Bank Cord Blood?

Blood found within the umbilical cord is rich in stem cells, which give rise to all other tissue and organs in the body. Stem cells are already being used to treat nearly 70 diseases, including leukemia, other cancers and blood disorders. Doctors are also developing stem cell treatments for other conditions, such as heart disease, juvenile diabetes and brain injury.

The Cord Blood Collection Process

Cord blood collection is similar to drawing blood for a blood test. After a woman gives birth and the cord has been clamped and cut, blood is withdrawn from the umbilical cord before it is discarded. The procedure takes less than five minutes, and is 100 percent safe for both mother and baby.

Saving Cord Blood: Two Options

Once parents have decided to save their child’s cord blood, they need to evaluate their options. There are two choices for cord blood banking – public donation and private banking – and they are vastly different options.

Public cord blood banking is a donation much like adult blood donation; once you have donated the cord blood, you have no discretion over how it is used or to whom it is given. However, you are benefiting society by offering this blood to those in need or to medical research. For public donation/banking, costs are generally paid for by the public bank, but your doctor may charge a fee for the collection.

Private cord blood banking is at the discretion of the family. The ownership of the blood remains with the family and you will have complete discretion over how the blood is used and to whom it is given. For private banking, all costs are paid for by the family and can cost up to $2,000 for the collection and storage of the cord blood stem cells, plus annual storage fees ranging from $95 - $125.

Given the financial considerations, there are a few important questions to consider:

1. How likely is my child (or children) to contract one of the diseases that cord blood can be used to treat?
   The probability that the average child will require a transplant of her own stem cells before age 20 has been estimated as 4 in 10,000 (.04 percent).² However, a critical factor to take into account is your family history. Families with a higher predisposition to cancer and immune disorders may have higher risk factors. You should consult your physician to discuss your family background before deciding on private cord blood storage.
2. If I don’t have a family history of disease and my risks are low, are there benefits for “average” families to banking Cord Blood?
   Absolutely. Over the course of a lifetime up to age 70, the probability that a person will require a transplant of her own stem cells is 1 in 450 (0.23 percent), and the likelihood of requiring any transplant, from yourself or a sibling, is 1 in 220 (0.46 percent).³ The numbers rise even higher when you take into consideration future stem cell therapies that are still in development. According to the Stem Cell Research Foundation, approximately 50 percent of Americans could benefit from stem cell therapy at some point in their lifetime. This figure is based on future increasing use in adults, as well as growing research showcasing the promise of using stem cells to treat major diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, spinal cord and brain injury.

So, what’s the bottom line? Cord blood banking, like many parenting decisions, is a highly personal one. You need to take into account many factors – your family health history, your financial situation, your interest in aiding society – before making an informed decision.

Here are a couple of families who made their decisions:

“You never know what can happen, so that's why I tell mothers to save every child's cord blood.”

—Cathy Pell, Manassas, VA.

Cathy’s daughter, Abby, suffered anoxic brain injury at birth and was treated with an infusion of her own stem cells.

“We really wanted to bank Elizabeth’s cord blood. It’s an added safety measure that we would have liked. But without a family history, the costs just didn’t seem worth it. We decided to put the money in a college savings account – something we’re fairly certain to use down the road!”

—Sarah Campesi, Fredericksburg, VA

For more information on cord blood banking, visit Cord Blood Registry at www.cordblood.com or www.cordbloodawareness.org.