Amongst all the roles an expecting father plays – from sympathizer to researcher to errand boy – there’s a central theme: Caretaker. When we were expecting, I knew only that I was going to love and take care of our new addition. Part of taking care included researching cord blood banking.

I had heard that cord blood banking could be expensive – or at least is perceived to be – but I was also positive I wanted to save these valuable cells. After all, my wife and I are firm believers in science and medicine and recognize that the future for these cells could be limitless. I mean, this was 2008 and stem cells and the research surrounding them was a hot issue! Every day it seemed there was a new use for stem cells. So, the decision to bank was made.

Now the question became who to bank with?

I first heard about banking as we attended more and more pregnancy related events. A regular presence at these gatherings was Cord Blood Registry and, as we grew closer to the due date, I followed up with this company. Quickly I learned that they were the largest and most experienced amongst the cord blood banks. But what did that mean?

Talking with Cord Blood Registry, they confirmed for me the growing uses of stem cells and focus on regenerative medicine. OK, I liked the sound of that! They went on to explain to me that CBR was working to expand this field. They partner with hospitals and researchers to give their clients exclusive access to clinical trials exploring stem cells as a treatment for such conditions as cerebral palsy and brain injury.

I loved the sound of all of this but the price barrier remained an overarching concern. How expensive was this going to be? I knew the price would be a sticking point with my wife and, considering we were expecting a new little person to join our family, the family budget was no doubt about to change. Our representative – terrific by the way – helped us find a payment plan that we were cozy with and that would fit our budget.

So to recap: CBR was dedicated to the science, the most experienced and biggest bank, and flexible enough to ensure this fit my budget? Where do I sign?!? We made the decision to bank early because we knew we were going to take care of our child from day one and beyond. As a soon-to-be father, I had my caretaker hat on, and this was something we needed to do. And something we won’t think twice about doing again should our family grow again.

I’m glad we have not had to use these cells but I could not be happier knowing we have access to them in case that we ever did.

If you want to learn more about cord blood banking and Cord Blood Registry, visit their site at www.cordblood.com.