How to Prepare for a Newborn with Cord Blood Registry

As exciting as it is to plan and prep for your new addition, it can also be somewhat overwhelming. I found myself frantically running around during the last 3 months of pregnancy. Having a checklist to visual remind myself that I was preparing for my newborn made life a tad bit less hectic. Of course that checklist can only get you so far in actually preparing yourself for your baby’s due date.

Everyone will have their own checklist. Each one personal to their own preferences in regards to how they plan to raise their babies. I wanted to share my very own checklist that has been successful through 3 newborns as well as the importance of cord blood banking. Use this as a guide to help you discover what you want on your checklist to help you better prepare for a newborn.

Baby supply wish list on a registry.

If you are planning to have a baby shower or not, it is good to get that baby supply list together. Having it on a registry will help you keep it all in one place and no fear of losing it. Having a list will also help you visually note what all items you are wanting to have when baby arrives. I did some researching from friends, family, and Pinterest to see what items were on the ‘Top Baby Item Lists’. Being knowledgeable on baby gear is good when you are trying to find what will work with your specific parenting style.

Wash and wash some more.

The best time to get all that baby gear washed is prior to delivery day. This is an important step because newborn’s skin is very sensitive to the outside environment. What may have been on the clothing items post-warehouse may not be the best thing for that new, sensitive skin. Use a laundry detergent that is preferably designed for babies or sensitive skin.

Getting it all together.

Organization is one of the top priorities. This includes organizing what baby items you currently have, whether it be baby clothes, baby feeding, baby diapering, and baby bathing items. I found the best time for organization is the last few months of pregnancy. Maybe it is just a coincidence that this is also referred to as the nesting stage. At this time, I had majority of everything washed and ready to be put away. The last thing you are going to want to worry about once your new bundle of joy arrives is where did you put the onsies or baby wash clothes. Get all of these baby items organized before your baby arrives.

Installing that baby car seat.

Installing the baby car seat in advance will give you plenty of time to make sure it is installed correctly. Many places, including most hospitals, will do a safety check to ensure you have installed your baby car seat correctly.

Consider Cord Blood Banking with Cord Blood Registry (CBR)

This checklist item is one that will follow your baby beyond the newborn season. I see this item more as a possible safety net for your baby as well as immediate family members. I have listed out many important facts around cord blood banking and CBR, as well as links to guide you.

What exactly is cord blood? The baby’s umbilical cord is made up of tissue and blood. Both of these are rich sources of powerful stem cells. Cord blood stem cells can heal the body, promote recovery, and offer an enormous amount of therapeutic potential. Certain conditions of the blood and immune system are currently using stem cells as treatment as part of a stem cell transplant.

So what exactly is CBR? CBR is a cord blood preservation company that has been around for over 20 years! They are a resource for new parents in many ways. CBR is dedicated to advancing the real life clinical applications of newborn stem cells. They believe passionately in the power of healthy families. They have many options to make it affordable for families, including payment plans or a gift registry option. This allows for friends and family to contribute toward the cost of preserving newborn stem cells. The Newborn Possibilities Program® assists families with a qualifying medical need by covering all costs for preserving their child’s newborn stem cells and storing them for 5 years.

Preserving your newborn’s stem cells with CBR may give your child or an immediate family member, depending on the condition and other factors, the opportunity to use this resource for current cord blood therapies for many conditions as part of a stem cell transplant including various cancers and blood, immune and metabolic disorders (CBR Source). There are many clinical trials taking place evaluating cord blood for use in regenerative medicine. Researchers hope to find new approaches to healing the body using the cells’ natural abilities to help repair and regenerate.

Autism is one potential future application of cord blood. Results of a CBR Funded clinical trial led by researchers at Sutter Medical Center evaluating cord blood as a potential treatment for autism were recently published. The study showed that the use of a child’s own cord blood was safe in children with autism. More research is needed to understand if cord blood may help children with ASD. To learn more about this study, check out the autism trial page. Or watch this video.

There is great potential in the future of cord blood research. It’s a world of possibility and can provide a potential safety net for your baby as well as immediate family members, depending on the condition and other factors, is why it made its way on my checklist. To learn more about how cord blood banking and CBR works, check out their website Click Here. This video also explains how it all works.

Preparing to Bring Your Newborn Home

I remember the day I brought each one of my kids home. It was an amazing and indescribable feeling every single time. A checklist made things so much easier for when we returned home with our new bundles of joys. The lack of sleep, feedings, and making sure we changed diapers as needed was all that I was left to worry about. I hope this checklist on how to prepare for a newborn is as helpful for you as it was for me.

 

*cordblood.com/uses