[snip]
1. Stem cells similar to those present in cord blood are easily obtained from our own (adult) blood if/when the need arises.
2. Very low chance that they will be useful to siblings/parents/other relatives.
3. No guarantee of how well these cells survive in the cryogenic environment. No guarantee from the banks of backup plans in case of failure.
4. All fancy stuff (about regenerating organs) from the cells is science fiction so far.
5. Medical science could find alternative ways to cure your conditions by then.
6. The bank guys are great at emotional blackmail --- like giving the greatest gift to your newborn, and being a bad parent otherwise. I had one guy who told me that I might even make money selling it in future. Shame on him.
My wife and I also discussed cord-blood banking a lot before our girl was born. We read loads, talked loads, and when we met our OB-GYN, she basically said "don't bother" and gave reasons 1, 3, and 6, putting particular emphasis on 3 (in fact, 2 different OBs gave the same reasoning for not bothering). We opted not to bank with a clear conscience.
Of course, like everything else about parenting decisions, this is a massively personal decision that should be made in close consultation with your spouse/partner & medical support person, and whatever makes you all feel most comfortable should outweigh any /. comments enough to pretty much render them moot.
Also, congrats on the new addition. It gets easier after about 10 weeks, I swear. :0)
