As a pregnant woman, you and your partner have a couple of important decisions to make in addition to thinking about how to raise your little one. Thinking about giving your child a healthy eating regimen and following best parenting practices should be on your mind. But this is where you need to make some room to address the question: should you opt for cord blood banking? And what is the best option for you?
The ultimate goal of any parent is to do the best they can to ensure their child never witnesses a health crisis. And as most doctors and medical researchers have already stated, one of the ways to secure a child’s future is to opt for cord blood banking. Stem cells from the umbilical cord are powerful in curing diseases that are said to be irreversible. So today, there are mainly two groups of parents: one who privately deposits their children’s stem cells and the other who donates them to a public bank. And if you’re in India and want to choose between a private or a public cord blood bank, here’s what you need to know.
Challenges of public umbilical cord blood banks
Given the Indian scenario, the great challenge in the field of public cord blood banking is to locate and then store sample blood units that match the population and ethnic diversity of the country. So when a need exists, it can seem very difficult to find a donor who is the best fit for a child or adult who needs a stem cell transplant to overcome a life-threatening illness. This was the situation for Dr. Nalini Ambady, an American Indian teacher who was unable to survive because she did not have access to the correct combination of stem cells.
Not all samples are feasible
Issues related to public cord blood banks are further complicated by the quality of the sample collected. There are situations where most samples have to be canceled due to insufficient stem cells. Sometimes parents are not aware of the fact that not all samples may be used. Additionally, parents should be aware that simply banking cord blood does not mean that parents have blocked “treatment” for their children, siblings, family members, or even themselves. Therefore, when parents show an interest in public banking, these aspects must be addressed to provide a practical perspective.
private cord blood bank
With private cord blood banking, parents have the ability to store their child’s cord blood for their own use or for use by a family member. In simple words, the family has full “ownership” of the umbilical cord blood unit and has the power to make important decisions about how it is used. However, what seems to be a challenge here is the cost of private cord blood banking. The initial collection and annual storage charges is a costly amount. But the ownership aspect is what makes most parents say yes to private stem cell banking.
Considering the expense one has to incur, expectant parents are often stuck in endless thought loops about what might be the best stem cell banking option. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a family should consider keeping their umbilical cord blood in a private bank, since stem cells from the baby’s umbilical cord blood could be more suitable for any sick member of the family, compared to a non-sick member. family donor.
