So, you’ve decided to do cord blood
banking. You’ve done all of the research
about this topic and have decided that you want to have some of the blood taken
from the umbilical cord of your soon-to-be born baby and stored for future
potential use.
Now that you’ve made this large decision, the
next question is – how do you pick the right cord blood bank for your
needs? There are many for-profit cord
blood banks today and each of them will tell you why you should choose their cord
banking facility. It’s important, as you
begin to research the various cord blood banks, to know what questions to ask
and to have an idea of what you’re looking for.
Here are some suggestions to consider.
Do They Bank In Your Area?
Obviously, you’ll quickly narrow down your
list of cord blood banks by inquiring about their location. If you have your heart set on delivering in a
specific hospital or birthing center, and two of the four cord blood banks
don’t use those facilities, then you’ve narrowed down your choices. You need to find out from each of the
potential banks where they will come to in order to collect the kit after
delivery and to have it sent to the bank.
Financial Considerations
Find out from each of the banks exactly what
expenses are involved. Most of the
expense of cord blood banking takes place in the first year. Most banks have an enrollment fee, a
processing fee, a bank fee, a fee for the actual collection and initial storing
of the cord blood, and a fee for the first year’s storage. Then, they all have a yearly maintenance fee
for keeping the cord blood stored.
Prices can vary a good deal. Find
out what each place charges, down to the last cent, and what they include in
those charges. Find out as well if those
charges are fixed, or if they will increase over time and with inflation costs.
Financial Stability
Find out about the financial stability of each
of the cord blood banks that interest you. You don’t want to have to transfer your cord blood to
another bank should your bank go under. The longer the bank has
been operating, and the more financially sound they are, the more likely it
will be that you will be in good hands.
Details of Each Facility
Ask each bank about its operations. How many
people work for the cord blood bank? How
many samples do they process in a given year and how many are stored
there? The more samples that they have,
and the more people they have working for them, can indicate a more
professional operation with more experience and more handling procedures in
place. Find out, in addition, what happens to your sample, and your money, if the bank goes out of business. Furthermore, what happens if you want to
switch to another cord blood bank? Do
you lose some of your money? All of your
money? Find out what their procedures
are in these situations.
You
want your child’s future put into good hands.
You’ve made your first decision by deciding to go ahead with cord blood
banking. Now, take the time to do the
research about each bank that interests you so that you can make the best
decision for the future for yourself and your family.
