Preparing to welcome your newborn into your house involves making numerous decisions. Some of these decisions are more crucial than others and can affect the life and health of your child in future years. One such decision involves choosing the right cord blood bank for your kid.

After you have decided to preserve the cord blood of your child, you need to make another decision. Do you want to store it in a private cord blood bank or a public cord blood bank?

To make the right choice, you must understand the difference between these two banks and their advantages and disadvantages. Let us discuss this in more detail.

Private cord blood bank.

Private cord blood banks are the banks where you can store your child’s cord blood upon the payment of certain charges. The cost of storage includes a one-time payment and monthly fees to the cord blood bank.

The blood is owned by you and your family and can be used in case of any future emergencies. You can use the stem cells for your child, their siblings, or any other family member. The company is solely responsible for storing the cord blood and making it available on demand.

Storing your child’s cord blood in a private bank is advisable if you have a family history of the disease, which puts your baby at genetic risk. You can also store the stem cells if your family member is suffering from an ailment and can benefit from a stem cell transfusion.

Also, parents can store the blood cells as a precautionary measure to treat any future diseases. However, it is crucial to note that even the experts can’t foretell the viability of your stem cells after twenty years of their storage. Also, cord blood banking involves huge investment, and the chances of using these stem cells are remote.

The usability of stem cells for future ailments depends on their proper storage. Hence, it is important to choose a competent private cord blood bank after thorough research.

Public cord blood bank

In the case of a private cord blood bank, you donate your baby’s cord blood to the bank, and it becomes their property post-donation. Cord blood with enough stem cells for medical usage is tested and given to a person who is a genetic match.

Cord blood can aid in medical treatments and can treat many diseases. Hence, people are encouraged to donate their child’s cord blood to a public bank, where it can save lives.

If the stem cells in the cord blood are not enough for medical use, the blood is given for research. The research aids in medical advancements, which helps numerous people in the future.

Donation from People with mixed ethnicities is crucial as such donations are rare and can save someone’s life.

Donating your child’s cord blood is free, and the bank pays for the collection and storage of stem cells. If your hospital has partnered with a public bank, you can donate to such a bank, or else, you will need to find a public bank in your area.

Post-donation, the cord blood becomes the property of the public cord blood bank and cannot be used for your child’s future needs.

All decisions regarding the usage of cord blood are taken by the cord blood banking company. You will not be able to determine what happens to your child’s cord blood.

There are numerous cord blood bank companies in the market that make the choice even more difficult. Now that you know the difference between private and public cord blood banks, you can make an informed decision about your child’s future.

Once you have chosen the type of bank, it is essential to do some research to ensure that the bank is competent to store your cord blood and make it available for future treatment.