EBB 346 - Uncovering the Facts about Private Cord Blood Banking with Journalist Sarah Kliff

Evidence Based Birth®

Rebecca Dekker

Pregnancy, Health & Fitness, Childbirth, Parenting, Birth, Medicine, Kids & Family, Doula, Obstetrician, Midwife

4.6 • 978 Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker and investigative journalist Sarah Kliff of The New York Times explore the intricate world of cord blood banking. Sarah shares insights from her article, "Promised Cures, Tainted Cells," which explored cord blood banking practices, their marketing claims, and the stark contrast between public and private banking systems.

Together, they discuss:

The differences between public and private cord blood banks
Marketing tactics and their impact on parents
The decline in the medical utility of cord blood over the last decade
Ethical concerns, such as contamination, low stem cell counts, and hidden collection fees

Sarah also shares the stories of families who invested in private banking, only to find their samples unusable when needed. This episode sheds light on the decisions surrounding cord blood banking and provides a look at the system's pitfalls.

Join us at the EBB Conference (virtually) this March by registering here! You can also see if the EBB Pocket Guide to Newborn Procedures is in stock here.

(00:05:56) Paid vs. Donated Cord Blood Storage

(00:08:06) Stem Cell Storage for Future Medical Use

(00:09:32) "Cord Blood Marketing: Promises and Concerns"

(00:21:44) Rising Financial Burden of Cord Blood Storage

(00:25:46) Unregulated Growth in Private Cord Blood Banking

(00:26:14) Quality Control Concerns in Private Cord Blood Banking

(00:34:48) Cord Blood Banking Implications in Delayed Clamping

(00:41:52) Unregulated Risks of Cord Blood Storage

Resources:

For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone. On today's podcast, we're going to talk with journalist Sarah Cliff about her investigative reporting on cord blood banking.
0:11.9	Welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. My name is Rebecca Decker, and I'm a nurse with my PhD and the founder of evidence-based birth.
0:20.2	Join me each week as we work together to get
0:23.0	evidence-based information into the hands of families and professionals around the world.
0:28.5	As a reminder, this information is not medical advice. See eBbirth.com slash disclaimer for more
0:35.3	details.
0:42.0	Hi everyone and welcome to today's episode of the evidence-based birth podcast.
0:47.1	Before we get started with this episode all about cord blood banking, I have two announcements for you. First, if you haven't registered for the 2025 virtual EBB conference yet, I highly
0:53.7	encourage you to get your ticket soon. Today is the last
0:56.6	day to register at the early bird rate plus get access to an exclusive post-conference
1:01.8	Q&A with Jen Camel of EBAC facts about all things vaginal birth after cesarean. The next week,
1:08.6	Wednesday, February 19 is the last day to get early bird registration before
1:13.0	ticket prices go up.
1:14.7	If you want to learn more about our speakers and topics, or if you know you're ready to
1:18.9	grab your ticket and join us, just head over to eBbirth.com slash conference and register
1:25.1	today.
1:26.1	Also on today's podcast, we are so excited to be covering another
1:29.0	topic related to newborn health. Our expert today is going to be talking with us about cord
1:34.8	blood banking, which is something that I looked into the research on when I was writing
1:38.5	the evidence-based birth pocket guide to newborn procedures. And that brings me to my second
1:43.2	announcement, and that is we have
1:44.9	a limited number of physical laminated pocket guides that will be in stock on Valentine's Day
	...

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