This post is sponsored by Cord Blood Registry but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
When I was pregnant with Lily, I was exactly what you expect a new mom to be: endlessly trying to prepare for something I could never prepare for.
I bought a doppler, wanting to hear her heartbeat in between appointments. I researched every symptom on Dr. Google and called my doctor’s office more times than I’d care to admit. I printed off questions to ask at each appointment and tried my hardest to do everything I could to help Lily before she was born.
One of the things that I looked into was cord blood banking. Nathan and I were pretty determined to do it when we first read about it. We brought it up to our doctor and she was pretty quiet on it, saying it wasn’t something the hospital did. We’d have to arrange it ourselves.
And that was it. We didn’t take the time to research it and look into the options or costs.
Looking back at it now, and knowing what I do know now, I wish we would have taken the time to learn more about it. I wish we would have armed ourselves with the knowledge of what cord blood is and why it might be beneficial.
Did you know that your baby’s umbilical cord is made up of tissue and contains blood that is rich in stem cells? And that preserved newborn stem cells may be used by your child or close family members in potential future applications?
By banking your baby’s stem cells with CBR, you have access to their team of Certified Genetic Counselors who can discuss your family’s medical history and answer all of your questions on newborn stem cells. CBR also assists families with qualifying medical conditions by covering all the costs to preserve their newborn stem cells and storing them for five years.
And storage is not all they do. CBR is partnering with reputable research institutions on FDA-regulated clinical trials in hopes of discovering if cord blood may be a potential treatment option for conditions that currently have no cure.
For many people, cord blood banking is such a meaningful gift. Which is why, if you’re looking for a unique gift for an expecting mother this year, I’d recommend giving the gift of cord blood banking. CBR offers a gift registry option making it simple for the gift giver and recipient.
Or if you’re looking to do this for your bundle of joy, the steps to get setup with CBR are super easy:
- Enroll with CBR online
- Get shipped a collection kit
- Bring your kit to the hospital on your big day
- Call the medical courier after your baby is born and the cord blood has been collected by your healthcare professional.
- Relax! CBR handles the rest and they will let you know when your collection kit has been received.
Knowing how simple this is, there’s a big part of me that regrets that we didn’t push harder to know the benefits or how to accomplish it. But now that we do, if we ever have another child, it will be something we look into much further. And it’s something I’d recommend any new parents to consider.
So give the gift families will remember this holiday season and consider cord blood banking for your little one or a loved one’s little one.
