Officially 27 weeks pregnant! Hard to believe next week marks the beginning of my third trimester! Thankfully, things are continuing to move along wonderfully. The baby is kicking like crazy, my monthly checkups have been normal, and I feel good, which is a blessing in and of itself! It does feel strange to have such a little baby in the house and be pregnant at the same time, but I am loving every minute. It’s nice that we already have baby items out (like a changing table, diaper bag, bottles, etc.) and I don’t have to pack them up. We can get double use out of everything. It’s also neat to see the boys continue to grow and bond with Karolina…and their unborn sibling. I’m really trying to soak up the joys of each day, this is such a happy time.
I am also doing something new with this pregnancy/delivery that I am really excited about. My friend Jennifer told me about donating cord blood. We can’t afford to bank it, but there is an opportunity to donate it for stem cell research. Cord blood is so valuable, and I am grateful for the opportunity to use it, and have it go toward a great cause, instead of pitching it in the trash. I wish I would’ve known about it with my other pregnancies! Click here for the website and application.
Re: Cord Blood. I'm so glad to hear you are donating it. I was just looking into this last night and actually read an article in the most recent Parents magazine. I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about not being able to afford banking it. According to the article I read, they actually only recommend banking our own child's cord blood in a private bank if an older sibling has a known disease that is could be used. They said if not it is actually a waste, as you typically need someone else's cord blood to help make your baby healthy and not their own infected blood. This makes sense from what I know about out our Kell Antigen blood scenario, but is completely against the private cord blood bank marketing messages.
Just wanted you to know – we have an 8 year old friend who is fighting leukemia, and is getting better because of her baby sister's cord blood…You are creating a miracle for another family!!! Such a blessing!!!