Question: Should I consider saving my baby’s umbilical cord blood?

Answer: In my opinion. Yes. Collection of the cord blood allows parents and patients to store high quality stem cells for future use.  These stem cells can repair damage in the body for a number of different tissue types. This field of medicine is really expanding and exciting.  Currently patients with leukemia, sickle cell dz, blood disorders, etc are seeing the benefit.  The future will likely aid in cerebral palsy, cardiac, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and more. The drawbacks are the upfront cost and the fact you only have one chance to collect the high quality cells.  I will definitely store it for my next child. All pregnant women need to know their options with respect to collecting their baby’s cord blood. — Dr. Edgerton