The Gift That Lives Beyond the Holidays!
I’m not going to lie. I feel that this year, the sales have been more than ever in my face. It was leading up to Black Friday, and since then it’s just out of control. I totally get that brands want people to BUY BUY BUY, but I also think it’s time to step back and really understand if you actually need some of this stuff. If you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve already heard me ranting about this over the course of this month. I’ve decided to be much more intentional with my purchases this year, because it just doesn’t make sense to buy my family and friends gifts that are going to be of no use to them. My husband and I basically decided to not do any gifts for each other, and may just end up buying a new mattress since that’s actually something we need since ours is so old and on it’s way out! EEEEEK.
We don’t really need another sweater, another knick knack, or something else that’s just going to end up untouched and on the counter, or worse, the trash. This is why I think it’s time to talk about gifts that potentially live on past the holidays. Something that people will treasure and will make a giant impact on their lives.
Our babies are everything to us. If they hurt, we hurt. When they feel pain, we feel pain. It’s just what comes in the package when you become a parent amongst all the wonderful things.
One of the most important decisions we thought we made when we had both babies was to bank their cord blood when they were born. We learned through a few classes that the baby’s umbilical cord is made of tissue and contains blood, which are these rich sources of powerful stem cells. Through these stem cells, there are many uses for the cord blood including treatments for various cancers, and blood, immune, and metabolic disorders (Source: http://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org/qa/what_is_treated.html) . We knew that it would be the utmost benefit if we could preserve these newborn stem cells, and have the ability to use the cells for potential future applications, like regenerative medicine.
I’ve partnered with CBR to help bring more understanding to why this is important, and how you could make an expecting mother and their family very happy this holiday season. If you’re unsure and still have numerous questions about cord blood banking, every family has access to CBR’s team of Certified Genetic Counselors, who can discuss your family’s history, answer all of your questions around newborn stem cells, and provide education about your options to preserve them.
I totally understand that it isn’t always a viable option since it can be expensive, but CBR does offer payment plans which can make it very affordable. You can also add it to your gift registry and encourage friends and family to help you to bank this vital cord blood.
We knew that if we were going to make an impact on our child’s life the day they were born, it wouldn’t be to buy yet another onesie, but to make sure we are ensuring our child’s safety. After all, that is why we are parents and want the very best for our itty bitties. We wanted to give our babies the best chance on this planet and in our humble and honest opinion, one of the things we could do was to bank their cord blood for whatever may come their way.
