Almost done but a few questions

I have just about 3 weeks to go.  I am 1 cm dilated and been spotting pink on and off for about a week. My doctor doesn't seem to concerned.  I'm wondering if its the start of labor or what.
Anyway I also wanted your thoughts on cord blood banking.  We decided to do it and signed up yesterday.  Its a hard decision for me because I really can't afford it.  The first year is what will be hard and then after that the money to maintain is a piece of cake.  Its funny because I'm going into this hoping it turns out to be a complete waste of money because I hope I'll never have to use it.  Any thoughts?

[Cheyenne_08]

My sister banked cord blood when she had her first daughter. My sister had leukemia as a child and so they wanted the cord blood just in case. 7 years later and so far it has served no purpose. We were going to bank Ashtyn's cord blood, but didn't end up doing it.

[peekawho]

The spotting by itself doesn't mean too much.  If your doctor is not concerned, then I wouldn't be either.  It does not necessarily mean labor is near.

Cord blood banking is an individual and personal decision.  There are pros and cons.  The vast, vast majority of times it will never be used....but if you are in that miniscule percentage of people who have a gravely ill child, you will be thankful you did it.

It just comes down to can you afford it?  I would not overly stress and put yourself in a financial bind over it, if it is something that would cause hardship or risk to your family finances.  Do discuss your family history with your physician, to get his/her opinion on whether there might be conditions present that would tip the scales in favor of cord blood banking.  

If you decide to do it, go with a large, reputable company that has been in business for many years.  I see more and more parents choosing new or unfamiliar companies, and you have to worry what happens if the company gets in financial trouble or ceases to exist in a few years.   What happens to your money, and what happens to the cord blood in that case?

So....talk with your doctor about anything in your family history that might lead you to want to go with cord blood banking.  Carefully examine the expenses involved.  Look at the past history of the company you are considering.  

Good luck!

[kjbutcher]

I spotted pink for about a week before going into labor with DS.  It was a thick pink and doc said it was most likely my mucus plug.  
I am so on the fence with the cord blood thing.  I knew I definately could not afford it with DS so didnt even look into it.  It seems to be about half of the price this time around and we are in a better financial situation so I started looking into it.  You are right though, it is still a ton of money and it is definately a hard thing to do, but do-able this time.  Here are the things I have heard. It is not like stem cells, they only cure a few ailments.  second, by the time we know more about it, we dont know if it will still be good after being frozen, ie if our kids need it for alzheimers (assuming they are able to find a way to use it then) as they get older will it still be good?  Third, you can not use it for the child you bank it from.  so basically if I bank it now, it would only be good for my older DS.  I would HAVE to bank two out of my three kids blood for them all to be covered.
I am interested to see what others have come up with and how they made the decision they did.  I still have 4 months to decide.

[Aydensmommy]

My husband has a horrible family history of cancer.  It really scares me.  Financially for the first year might be tight doing it but I think we will manage.  If not I guess we will cancel it and donate it if it gets that bad.  
Thanks for your thoughts.  Its a tough decision to make .

Peek, I did it with ViaCord.   I only had two to chose from with my doctor and the other wouldn't give me a 12 month payment option.