Why one Toronto couple with two children (and one on the way) decided to bank each of their baby’s cord blood.
We recently sat down with Vini and Steve D’Sa, proud parents of two beautiful children, with a third on the way. The D’Sa family banked both of their children’s cord blood with Cells For Life and were kind enough to share their story with our readers.
Why did you choose to bank your baby’s cord blood?
Both Vini and Steve are excited to announce that they’re expecting a baby boy any day now. And at 37 weeks pregnant, Vini warned us that she might have to excuse herself out of the interview if baby #3 decided to make an early entrance. Needless to say, we hopped right in to our line of questioning… just in case. Like most couples, Steve and Vini had first learned about cord blood banking in preparing for the arrival of their first child. Vini had been chatting with a girlfriend who had banked her own children’s cord blood and wanted to learn more.
I don’t think there was a Twitter account for that back then,” said Steve jokingly, referring to the Cells for Life Twitter account which acts as a resource for parents with questions about cord blood. Instead, the couple found themselves reading through Cells for Life pamphlets in her doctor’s office. After conducting some additional research online, both she and her husband Steve were convinced that banking their daughter’s cord blood was the right thing to do.“I mean, we took so long to get pregnant and have a baby and the last thing we wanted to do was put that child’s life in danger. If there’s anything you can do to protect that child, you’re going to do it,” says Vini. She added that since they made the decision to bank the cord blood the first time around, there was no way they weren’t going to do the same thing with subsequent children.
Cost vs. Caution
When it comes to cord blood banking, Vini explained how most of the people they spoke to were put off by the initial payment. “Our friends are really shocked that we did it. Not once, not twice, but three times…but really, if something happens, you’ll never be able to live with yourself. To know that you could have paid and have a lifeline for your child; you can’t put a price on that.”
When asked if they found cord blood banking to be affordable, Steve was quick to chime in. “The initial payment is a bit overwhelming… but the ongoing price after that is nothing. If something were to have happened, and God forbid one of our children were to develop Leukemia or something like that, and we did not do this, there’s no way I could live with myself. “ Like many expectant parents, Vini and Steve see cord blood banking as a form of insurance; one you hope you don’t need, but are grateful to have.
Cord blood collection and labour
We asked Vini if she recalled the moment during which the doctors collected her baby’s cord blood and she told us that while the process was a bit of a blur during the birth of her daughter Madelyn, who is 6 this year, she can recall the moment during the delivery of her son Bradley, when the doctor announced that collection was taking place. “I was a little distracted, but I remember the doctor saying ‘now I’m gathering the sample’… I didn’t see anything or feel anything, so it was completely painless process.”
Thankful to have banked with Cells for Life
As we wrapped things up, both Steve and Vini reiterated how happy they were in choosing to bank with Cells for Life. When asked if they would recommend cord blood banking with Cells for Life to other expectant couples, Steve answered on both their behalves with an enthusiastic “Absolutely”. On that positive note, we said our goodbyes and wished the D’Sa family a safe and speedy delivery for baby #3.
Want to learn more about cord blood banking? Visit our website or give us a call, we’re always happy to chat.
Note: Baby #3 made an early appearance after all and arrived just as we were writing this blog! The Cells for Life team would like to congratulate Vini, Steve, Madelyn and Bradley on the arrival of their new son and brother Nicholas D’Sa!
