Regards to cordblood banking.. I wonder if any of you know that it is actually not scientifically proven to help.. though marketing efforts will give you the list of illness it can help, but it has not been proven. But because the extent of trying to use it is so tedious, they can state anything they want as it's not been proven to work, or not to work. More often den not, the stem cells of another person (not the own child's) will be more likely to match. The chance of somebody needing their own cord blood is extremely, extremely low.
I had intended to store my baby's cordblood til i happen to ask a doctor friend which cordblood bank he used for his 3 kids, then only he told me it is pointless in his opinion, as apparently even the procedure to try to take it for cure is very very difficult.
One has to prove that all other medical sciences has failed before they can use the cordblood as it is always the last resort. He said something like "I have to go through so many other treatments before I can use the cordblood which I paid thousands for, and I don't even know if it can match or work." So both him and his doctor wife did not keep the cordblood for their 3 kids.
So I thought this is interesting as most of my friends (whoever seems able to afford it) chose to bank the cordblood. So I went to ask some other doctor friends, or get friends to help me ask their doctor friends, interestingly, I tink we asked about 4 of them, none of them saved the cordblood.
Very recently my sis' elder daughter been diagnosed with a blood disorder, and we r looking at transplant at this point, and when she asked the doc if she had saved her cordblood, would it have helped, the doctor said unlikely.
So while i tink it provides some sense of security like insurance, good to have, you don't know when you need it, but I may be paying for something that is deemed pointless medically.
Just sharing if you are looking at banking the cordblood.. don't just listen to the cordblood banks. Try googling for "cord banking not proven etc" But of cos, ur money ur call lor
But rmbr to donate it, instead of throwing away, cos rmbr, the likelihood of finding a match via public bank is higher, so hopefully by donating it i get good karma and will receive 1 when I need it.