If you're considering banking your baby's cord blood, there's a considerable amount of research and studying you need to do way before your EDD. Here's one of the more comprehensive and impartial websites on cord blood banking I've come across: the Parents' Guide to Cord Blood Foundation.

The site focuses on helping you evaluate cord blood banks and ultimately find a reputable one for you. There is a wealth of information in there, so before you drown from information overload, here are some of must-read articles to get you started:

• Medical Motivations for Banking Cord Blood first, followed by
• Diseases treated by blood stem cells
• Research on Umbilical Cord Blood, which is in a FAQ format
• News Reports, which is in the format of a timeline

If you are not from the US, be sure to read their article on cord blood banking regulations by nationality. Lastly, you may want to see how the banks compare according to the fees they charge for storage.