Pros and Cons of Banking Cord Blood

Many parents choose to bank cord blood from their newborn child to try to protect their future health. This practice is becoming more and more popular, especially in recent years, as the baby’s umbilical cord blood contains stem cells, which have been a recent focus of the news media. Stem cells are cells that lack any predestination, meaning they can be used for anything. A stem cell can become a nerve cell, blood cell, bone cell, or anything in between. Instead of discarded cord blood in the delivery room, as was practiced in the past, many parents now make the investment to bank cord blood for the future. As an alternative to storing your child’s cord blood, many parents also choose to donate the cord blood to a cord blood registry or for research purposes in an effort to cure diseases and better understand the workings of the human body.

When making the decision to bank cord blood, consider weighing the following pros and cons provided by the informative Web site Should You Bank Cord Blood in order to make a clear, well-informed choice:

Pros:

Donation Solutions: In the event of your child