Did you know that there are clear signs of male/female gender at this point-WOW. Gordy and I have to anxiously await until sometime between week 16-20 to find out. This is generally when our Dr’s office will do the first sonogram. I CAN’t WAIT!
One of the cool things that Gordy and I have decided along the way is that we would like to donate the baby’s umbilical cord blood. I know there are a handful of folks out there who decide to store their baby’s cord blood, but it’s very costly and the chances of needing someday are slim. However, you can save a lot of lives by donating the cord blood. The Dr’s office gave us some information on doing it (as they are required by law in IL to tell you about it) but if you want to, you have to do all of the legwork to make it happen. It’s very interesting, once you sign up through a company, they will send you all that you need to bring with you on day of delivery and the Dr’s office will take care of it from there. They basically save it in this kit that is mailed to you and then it get’s mailed back to this the Cord Blood Registry.
Here is a cool factoid:
According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, “10,000 to 15,000 Americans each year who need a (bone marrow) transplant are unable to find suitable donors”. Cord blood is an alternative transplant resource. As of the year 2000, more than 2,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide.
Why not - It’s FREE for us to donate - SAVE LIVES!
