They said it could save my child: Parents speak up about cord blood banks’ marketing tactics

THEY USED “SUCCESS STORIES”: Family

Other parents who CNA spoke to had related encounters with cord blood banks workers in hospitals and even during trips to gynecologists.

When his wife gave birth to their first child in 2021, researcher Nathaniel Koh went through this “borderline” bossiness. &nbsp,

” They often approach. When you’re at the gyne, they come up to you and sell their goods,” said Mr. Koh, 41.

” But you are at the office. Because of that, you are less likely to abandon the office. But ( I had no choice but to ) listen”, he said. Mr. Koh did not register. &nbsp,

One family, who gave birth to her son next year, claimed vendors approached her both before and after her hospital check-ups. &nbsp,

She did not mind it at first as she “genuinely wanted to know more”, said the 29- yr- ancient, who wanted to remain private. She actually included their phone number.

But it felt” a little aggressive” when she kept receiving names. The mommy- of- one, who works in marketing, recalled how the sales reps tried to persuade her to sign up for their services.

” After I voiced out that the price was a little high, they would try to push for the ( cheaper ) packages, saying that it could really save my child or future children if anything happened”, she said. &nbsp,

Although she decided not to shop or donate her child’s cable heart, she too, like Ms Tan, felt that her baby may be losing out. &nbsp,

” It felt ( as though ) if I did n’t do it and if anything happens to my baby, I might look back and regret that I did n’t buy their product”.

Priscilla Goh, the mother-of-two, recalls how cord blood banking workers were present at her gynecologist’s office in the same way. They frequently provided expecting parents with labeled freebies, such as a child mat or a bib.

Ms Goh, who works in the press, said she was “pretty company” in declining them. &nbsp,

They used” success stories” of sisters using one another’s cord heart, and what would happen if the cord blood was n’t saved, she said, remembering feeling annoyed at their frequent and repeated sales pitches. &nbsp,

The 34-year-old and her husband decided to donate the cord blood to the Singapore Cord Blood Bank after doing some study and speaking with a professor friend. They decided it may one day save somebody else’s life, and they were less likely to use their own wire blood, particularly if there were genetic conditions. &nbsp,