Cord Blood: Where Nature and Science Collide
We are sitting here at 26.5 weeks for our third baby. Less than fourteen weeks and I'll be holding a brand new baby in my arms. This pregnancy has been different but the same as the others in so many ways. The first trimester was better than the others and this pregnancy is racing by but my love and dreams for this babe already is incredible.
Even after having two babes already, I still think of all the things I will do and can do for this baby when he arrives. I've used our oils the whole pregnancy and will continue once he arrives. I'll continue taking the high quality supplements that I do now once pregnancy is over and I'm onto the nursing journey. I nurse my children well until toddlerhood because I've done the research and know the benefits.
I believe our bodies + nature have an incredible way to heal in an amazing ways. In our everyday lives we make an effort to do everything to make sure I give my children a pure start at life. I'm cautious about what I put in, on, and around my children and their bodies. We pick high quality foods and products. Doing things that give them purity and quality to give them their best life is something we go above and beyond to.
Within everything I do to help their bodies thrive, I know that sometimes I won't be able to always expect the unexpected. With the amount of autoimmune disorders and diseases in our world today, it gives a lot for someone to think about as a parent. It's easy to go to the "what ifs" as a parent because we only want the best lives for our children and with that incredible love also comes fear of the unknown. If the unthinkable happens, what options will be exhaust? Will we have everything to support our child to thrive in a long life?
As someone who experienced a life-saving heart surgery that saved my life. I also most recently experienced science fail my grandmother in her battle with cancer and truly believe more natural approaches would have saved her life. There's a place in this world where both are a potential, which leads me to something I've been learning a bit more about – Cord Blood banking.
Cord blood banking takes your brand new baby's umbilical cord blood that is left over and stores it in a public or private "bank". The cord blood contains stems cells and stems cells are being researched for their potential to help heal our body, promote recovery of injury and disease, as well as, offer an enormous amount of therapeutic potential. Preserved stem cells from birth have certain advantages over adult stem cells.
CBR, or Cord Blood Registry, is where I've been doing some research about this option that could save their life. The cost is reasonable at a little less than $2,000 to store your baby's cord blood which is an investment but may help improve or even save a life.
While using Stem Cells feels new to many, the CBR site states, "Cord blood stem cells have already been used in more than 35,000 transplants worldwide to regenerate healthy blood and immune systems." CBR has been around since 1992 and they have helped more than 350 families use their child's stem cells. Based on scouring the website they are extremely passionate about what they do and provide support through the entire process. Support, I believe, is invaluable when the unthinkable happens.
We didn't do cord blood banking with our first two babies but I do see the value in saving their cord blood. As we close in on the end of our pregnancy, I think it's something we will discuss. If we were to do it, maybe it would be an investment we didn't need to make after all (God willing!) but what if the unthinkable took place and we could have made the choice that made all the difference? Having a natural resource from my child's body that could save their life makes sense to me and it is certainly something I've been thinking about recently.
