The Benefits of Cord Blood Banking | What I Wish I Knew Sooner

This post is sponsored by Cord Blood Registry ® (CBR ®), but the opinions expressed here are my own.

After recently giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, it’s safe to say that I am still reeling off of the magnitude of what my body has just accomplished. Four times now, I have carried, nurtured, and delivered new life, and the overall capacity of what that entails is certainly not lost on me. Being a mother has been one of the most empowering, and challenging roles of my life. I think that welcoming a new baby into the family, whether it’s your first or your fourth, always brings about a mixed combination of feelings… excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and nervousness. I also think that in general, as parents, we always want what’s best for our children, and if there are tools that can help us along on our journey, then I’m all for taking advantage of them.

I recently had the opportunity to learn more about cord blood banking and Cord Blood Registry (CBR), something I really wish I knew more about before now. Cord blood and cord tissue banking with CBR offers an opportunity to preserve blood and tissue from your baby’s umbilical cord at birth. If you don’t already know, your baby’s umbilical cord is made of tissue and contains blood, both of which are rich sources of stem cells that are unique. Cord blood stem cells have actually been used for 30 years in the treatment of over 80 serious diseases (learn more here) like blood cancers, immune and metabolic disorders, and hematologic conditions, and there is new research underway (find out more here) for the use of cord blood in conditions that currently have no cure, like autism, hearing loss, and cerebral palsy. I’m sharing these facts because I honestly had no clue what possibilities cord blood banking might bring, and I wish that I had known about this sooner. Preserving your baby’s stem cells may give your child or an immediate family member (depending on the condition and other factors) the opportunity to use this resource for current cord blood therapies.

If you are currently expecting, or you know someone who is, CBR is a resource worth sharing about, and getting set up with them is easy:

1. Enroll with CBR online at cordblood.com/enroll or call 1-888-240-1996.
2. CBR ships you a collection kit.
3. Bring your kit to the hospital on your big day.
4. Call the medical courier after your baby is born and the cord blood has been collected by your healthcare professional.
5. Relax CBR handles the rest and will notify you when the kit has been received.

Also worth noting… CBR believes that every family should have the opportunity to preserve their newborn’s stem cells. That’s why they offer affordable payment options to fit almost every family budget and also offer a Gift Registry where friends and family can contribute to the cost of banking.

You can learn more about CBR HERE, and when you fill out your information you will receive a code for $200 OFF initial fees.

If had known about all of the possibilities that banking cord blood offered, it is definitely something that I would have considered. What’s one thing that you wish you knew more about before you had your baby?