A nuchal cord is a complication that occurs when the umbilical cord wraps around the baby’s neck one or more times. This is common and occurs in about 15 to 35 percent of pregnancies. Often, nuchal cords do not impact pregnancy outcomes.
Is normal delivery possible with cord around neck?
Nuchal cords are surprisingly common and unlikely to cause problems during pregnancy or at birth. Estimates suggest that 20 to 30 percent of all deliveries involve a nuchal cord.
How do you keep cord from around baby’s neck?
There’s no way to prevent or treat a nuchal cord. Nothing can be done about it until delivery. Health professionals check for a cord around the neck of every single baby born, and usually it’s as simple as gently slipping it off so that it doesn’t tighten around the baby’s neck once the baby has started to breathe.
How common is umbilical cord strangulation?
According to research from the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network, umbilical cord accidents account for around 10% of stillbirths. 1 While people often assume that the deaths are caused by accidental strangulation, they are most often the result of a sudden disruption of the blood supply to the baby.
Is it common for umbilical cord to wrap around?
In fact, 25 to 40% of babies are born with their umbilical cord wrapped around their neck (called a nuchal cord). There is nothing that can be done to prevent this. But, there is no need to worry.
Can you tell if baby has umbilical cord around neck?
Signs The Umbilical Cord Is Around Baby’s Neck
It’s visible via ultrasound. Your practitioner can detect a nuchal cord about 70 percent of the time during routine ultrasounds, although it’s usually not possible to determine if the cord is short or tight around the neck.
Which week is best for delivery?
If your pregnancy is healthy, it’s best to stay pregnant for at least 39 weeks and wait for labor to begin on its own. When you schedule your baby’s birth, you schedule either labor induction or a c-section.
Does nuchal cord mean C-section?
In cases where a tight nuchal cord is diagnosed prior to delivery, especially if there are accompanying signs of fetal distress, medical professionals should order an emergency C-section. Not doing so would be negligent. Improperly managed nuchal cords can cause serious harm to the baby.
Can the umbilical cord kill the baby?
Causes of Umbilical Cord Compression
This compression may be temporary and may resolve quickly with no harm to the baby. However, if the compression doesn’t resolve, the disruption of the blood and oxygen flow can seriously injure or kill a baby.
How do I know if my baby is in distress?
Heart rate abnormalities that are signs of fetal distress:
Tachycardia (an abnormally fast heart rate) Bradycardia (an abnormally slow heart rate) Variable decelerations (abrupt decreases in heart rate) Late decelerations (late returns to the baseline heart rate after a contraction)
Is too much movement from baby bad?
Generally, an active baby is a healthy baby. The movement is your baby exercising to promote healthy bone and joint development. All pregnancies and all babies are different, but it’s unlikely that lots of activity means anything other than your baby is growing in size and strength.
Why do babies not get tangled in umbilical cord?
Understanding how a baby gets its oxygen allows us to understand why a baby cannot strangle or “choke” on its cord. In order to choke, one must be using its trachea to breath air. Clearly, there is no air in the uterus, the baby does not breathe through its throat and, therefore, cannot choke.
Are fetal hiccups a good sign?
One theory is that fetal hiccups play a role in lung maturation. The good news is, in most cases, this reflex is normal and just another part of pregnancy. It’s important to note that fetal hiccups are, in general, considered a good sign. After week 32, though, it’s less common to experience fetal hiccups every day.