In honoring National Cord Blood Awareness for the month of July, I decided to share my donation story. I never even knew this was really a thing until I became pregnant. You seem to get this ‘Welcome to the Club’ package when you become pregnant. My OB’s office gave me most of the information but it seemed we were added to some secret mailing list that knew we were expecting.
The information I knew about cord blood donation was very minimal. As a person who is always interested in planning and helping others, this seemed like something I should definitely research. We considered private harvesting for a minute, but after researching donation more, the price seemed far too high just to ensure we had access to our own family’s cord blood. Plus, once you donate, the likelihood of your own cord blood still being available if necessary is high and if it’s not, you can pull from others who have also donated. This is why I believe it is so important to donate!
The process itself was very simple. The day I was in the hospital ready to deliver my baby, I completed some paperwork. That’s literally all I had to do. The OB is aware that you have decided to donate your cord blood so they are provided a ‘donation kit’ to make sure the appropriate process is followed to preserve the cord blood after delivery. A few weeks after delivery (or was it days… it’s all a blur) you will receive confirmation that your cord blood was able to be preserved.
I’m honestly hoping my family absolutely never has to access our cord blood. But, the fact that my child just being brought into this world, along with one simple additional step of donating cord blood, could be the lifesaving difference for another family, is one of the most comforting and fulfilling feelings in the world.
If you’d like to learn more, please check out this list of FAQ’s about Cord Blood Donation.
