When there is a baby on the way, everyone loves to chip in and buy gifts of the expectant parents. I have a theory about this - the sight of a pregnant woman makes people band together in protection of the species. We have an instinctual (probably hormonal) urge to get the "village" ready for the new baby.
In most women, this urge manifests itself in an unstoppable urge to buy frilly baby cloths in impossibly teeny tiny sizes that make everyone in range say "Awww." Thus, the baby shower was created as a way for the girls to get together and "Awww" over super cute baby clothes.
The truth is however, that there are only so many teeny tiny sets of clothes that one baby can wear before they outgrow them. What if there was a way for the family and friends to get together and gift a gift of possible life saving cord blood for that kid?
Cord blood banking is the process of sending the umbilical cord blood (harvested at birth by the folks at the hospital) and cryogenically storing it in case of future need.
Cryo-Cell, one of the major companies that provides cord blood banking services is now offering a “Friends and Family” promotion where you can buy the expectant parents gift certificates to be used towards the fees. Considering the price is definitely not cheap, this could really be a practical gift. Possibly even a life saving gift.
Neat idea. And really a lot more practical than one more frilly baby sweater. Here's a link for more info on how to give the gift of Cryo-Cell.
