If you wanted to access your own child’s blood in the future, you would not be assured access to that particular blood should you, your child, or another family member someday need it.

When you save your baby's umbilical cord blood with a private cord blood bank no one else is entitled to access and utilize that cord blood without your permission. It's like storing your valuables in a safe. Costs range from $1,000 to $2,000 for collection and approximately $125 per year for storage as of 2006.

When researching the facts about saving baby's umbilical cord blood make sure that claims are verified. Statements about collection, processing, and storage procedures should be backed up by facts and come from sources you know and trust. Always check for licensing, accreditation information, and years of experience.

Be aware of the fact that, because not every doctor is at the same level of education and understanding about the uses of stem cells from umbilical cord blood and their benefit in future issues, some of them may not recommend storage of baby's umbilical cord blood.

The donation of cord blood may not be available in all areas, but the opportunity to do it is becoming more available. More local cord blood banks across the United States are now accepting donations from within their own states.

The cord blood bank will not charge the donor for the donation, but the OB/GYN may still charge a collection fee of $100-$250, which is usually not covered by insurance. However, many OB/GYNs choose to donate their time.

"According to research in the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, the odds that a child will need to use his or her own stem cells by age twenty-one for current treatments are about 1:2,700, and the odds that a family member would need to use those cells are about 1:1,400."