An umbilical cord may become compressed or damaged before or during childbirth. Common signs of umbilical cord problems include an irregular fetal heartbeat and decreased or low fetal movement.
The umbilical cord can become compressed when the baby's weight, the vaginal walls, or the placenta strain the cord during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Cord compression can restrict blood flow and oxygen to the baby, risking fetal malnourishment, brain damage, or even death.
When the cord is compromised, your baby might become malnourished or suffer from the effects of oxygen deprivation. Serious umbilical cord problems can result in brain damage or the death of the baby.
Just over half of umbilical cord abnormality stillbirths occurred after 32 weeks (Figure 2).
During birth and the clamping and cutting process, germs can invade the cord and cause infection. Infection of the umbilical cord stump is called omphalitis.
Common signs of umbilical cord problems include an irregular fetal heartbeat and decreased or low fetal movement. Umbilical cord problems can be a serious threat to the child's health and should be carefully monitored and treated as necessary.
Much like a scab, the cord stump might bleed a little when it falls off. However, contact your baby's health care provider if the umbilical area oozes pus, the surrounding skin becomes red and swollen, or the area develops a pink moist bump. These could be signs of an umbilical cord infection.
There's no way yet to prevent nuchal cords or unwind them from a baby's neck in the womb. But when a baby is born with a nuchal cord, your doctor will know what to do because it happens so frequently.
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.
Healthy cords are protected by a gelatinous, soft filling called Wharton's jelly. The jelly is there to keep the cord knot-free so that your baby will be safe no matter how much they wriggle and flip themselves around. Some cords have insufficient Wharton's jelly.
Increased risk
being over 35 years of age. smoking, drinking alcohol or misusing drugs while pregnant. being obese – having a body mass index above 30. having a pre-existing physical health condition, such as epilepsy.
Twists can cause uterine contractions. Early on in pregnancy, when your developing baby is the smallest and the risk of miscarriage is the highest, twists are not considered safe.
Are There Risks of a Nuchal Cord? Nuchal cords happen randomly and are very common. Research suggests they happen in more than one in four births. Type B nuchal cords are less common, with about 2% to 8% of babies born with one.
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.
Cord entanglement is a common finding in utero; however, fetal demise resulting from nuchal cord entanglement is rare (1–8).
The stump of a newborn's umbilical cord is usually yellowish green at birth. As the stump dries out and eventually falls off — usually within two weeks after birth — it'll change to brown to black. In the meantime, keep the stump clean and dry.
Atresia, aplasia, or agenesis of one artery can lead to single umbilical artery syndrome [5]. Single umbilical artery (SUA) is the most common abnormality of the umbilical cord.
Dab the area dry. There are no nerve endings in the navel cord, so your baby won't feel any pain. Keep the front of your baby's diaper folded down (or use diapers with an umbilical cord peephole) so that the area is open to the air. Dress your baby in loose clothing so that the cord is exposed and can dry out.
After birth, the cord is clamped and cut. Eventually between 1 to 3 weeks the cord will become dry and will naturally fall off. During the time the cord is healing it should be kept as clean and as dry as possible. A sponge bath is the best way to clean your baby until the umbilical cord falls off.
When your baby is born the umbilical cord is cut and there is a stump left. The stump should dry and fall off by the time your baby is 5 to 15 days old. Keep the stump clean with gauze and water only. Sponge bathe the rest of your baby, as well.
There's no set number of movements or kicks that you should feel, so it's unlikely that your baby's moving too much (NHS 2021, Tommy's 2018). Instead, try to tune into how your baby moves on a daily basis. Knowing their usual pattern helps you to become more aware of any changes (NHS 2021, Tommy's 2018).
The biggest risks to your newborn are suffocation and infection," says Wendy Hasson, MD, a Portland, Oregon, pediatrician board certified in both general and critical care pediatrics. Still, it's important to provide head and neck support for your newborn.
This is often put down to distraction and being busy during the day, but that may not be the whole story. A number of ultrasound and animal studies have shown that the fetus has a circadian pattern that involves increased movement in the evening, and this is likely to reflect normal development.”
You might wonder whether bending over when pregnant can squish your baby. The chances of something happening to your baby as a result of you bending over are next to none. Your baby is protected by amniotic fluid during pregnancy.