What Is the Baby's Umbilical Cord Attached to

What Is an Umbilical Cord?

Your baby'south umbilical cord is a tube-like structure that connects your baby to you via your placenta. The umbilical string carries nutrients and oxygen from your placenta into your baby's body, so carries waste material out.

The umbilical string has two arteries and one vein.

The vein's job is to transport oxygen and nutrients from your placenta, to your infant.
The arteries are responsible for transporting your baby's waste fabric, which are eventually disposed of through your kidneys.
The umbilical string'due south arteries and veins are surrounded past a gelatin-like substance chosen Wharton's jelly, which cushions and protects the veins and arteries.

Umbilical Cord Abnormalities

For the almost part, umbilical cords do not have issues, and do a bully job of keeping your baby healthy during pregnancy.

Occasionally, there are abnormalities in umbilical cords that tin affect your baby's fetal development or tin can crusade complications during labor and commitment. Usually these abnormalities are establish during routine ultrasounds, but sometimes they present during labor and delivery.

The following are the almost common umbilical cord abnormalities.

Umbilical Cord Prolapse

In this condition, the umbilical cord drops into the space between your infant'southward torso and the cervix prior to delivery. This may happen before birth or during labor. Though rare (the condition normally occurs in one out of every 300 births), umbilical prolapse is an emergency and requires C-section delivery.

Unmarried Umbilical Avenue

Sometimes umbilical cords accept one artery, rather than two. This is a rare condition and doesn't usually present with other complications. However, having a single umbilical artery might increment your baby'due south chances of having a congenital aberration of the center, kidneys, intestines, or skeleton.

Nuchal Cord

Nuchal cords, where your infant's umbilical cord is wrapped around their neck at birth, are actually quite common. Sometimes the cord is wrapped around other parts of your baby's body, or appendages.

Usually, nuchal cords exercise non present any problems to babies or mothers. Sometimes, the pressure of the wrapped cord causes centre rate abnormalities for your baby; in rare cases, this would necessitate a C-section.

Vasa Previa

Vasa previa is a very serious condition that can have dire consequences if non caught early. In this status, one or more of the blood vessels of your baby'southward umbilical string brainstorm to grow virtually your cervix.

Pressure from your baby's torso, or from childbirth, can cause the blood vessels to tear or become compromised, depriving your babe of oxygen. If not caught early enough, vasa previa can cause stillbirth; however, if defenseless before your baby is born, your baby can be born via C-section, and has a higher hazard of survival.

Short Umbilical Cord

It'southward normal for umbilical cords to vary in length. But a very short umbilical cord (less than 40 centimeters) can be a trouble. It can lead to a premature separation of your baby from their placenta, which tin pb to stillbirth.

Umbilical String Knots

Sometimes your infant'southward umbilical cord may become knotted. If the knots are loose, this may not be a trouble. But if the knots are tight, they can cut off circulation for your baby and deprive them of oxygen. Your baby may have an aberrant eye rate as a result and may crave a C-department commitment.

Umbilical String Cysts

Umbilical cord cysts occur in about iii.four% of pregnancies. In and of themselves, they are normally not an issue. But they are known to occur with other congenital abnormalities such every bit trisomies of chromosomes (thirteen and 18), angiomyxoma of the cord, and imperforate anus.

If cysts are discovered during your ultrasound, your provider may want to perform other diagnostic tests to dominion out other genetic abnormalities.

How To Intendance For Your Babe's Umbilical Cord

Once you bring your new baby home, you will exist tasked with caring for their umbilical string stump as information technology heals. Many parents feel anxious almost making sure they treat their cord correctly, and want to ensure that information technology heals perfectly. But the truth is, in that location isn't that much you need to do to properly care for your baby's cord—in fact, less is more in many cases.

Here's what to know:

Experts no longer recommend cleaning the string stump with alcohol
Go on your infant's healing cord expanse dry
Fold your baby'south diaper down and let the cord stump time to air out
Give your baby sponge baths until the stump has fallen off
When your infant's cord falls off, you may notice a few drops of blood—this is normal
If your babe's stump is bleeding heavily, call your doctor immediately
Most string stumps will fall off with one to two weeks; contact your doctor if your infant's string hasn't fallen off after vi weeks

How To Know If There Is A Problem With Your Baby'southward Umbilical Cord

Most umbilical cord areas heal with no problems, especially if yous keep the area dry and allow it time to air out. Merely sometimes complications occur. Here's when you'd desire to contact your doctor almost your baby's umbilical cord:

If your infant'south umbilical string is bleeding actively
If your baby'southward string hasn't fallen off after two months

In rare cases, your baby'due south umbilical cord may become infected. Signs of infection include:

If at that place is yellow discharge coming out of the cord
If the belch has a smell
If you the skin around the cord has reddened
If your baby cries when their cord area, or the skin around information technology, is touched

If you notice whatsoever of these signs, telephone call your doc promptly then that the infection can be treated and so that it doesn't spread.

In improver, there are 2 other weather condition that may happen as your baby'due south umbilical string heals:

Umbilical Granuloma

Umbilical granulomas occur afterward the string falls off. They look like small cherry-red scar tissue in the abdomen push area, and may include a calorie-free yellow belch. In nigh cases, umbilical granulomas resolve on their ain; if your baby's umbilical granuloma doesn't go away in a week, contact your pediatrician.

Umbilical Hernia

Sometimes your baby'southward omphalos seems to beetle when they weep or exert themselves. This may indicate an umbilical hernia. This condition usually resolves by the time your baby is 12 or 18 months. If it doesn't resolve, it may require surgery.

A Give-and-take From Verywell

Gestating and birthing babies tin exist a fascinating process, and your infant'due south umbilical cord is no exception. Umbilical cords do the miraculous chore of connecting you to your baby in the womb, and helping them grow and thrive. Thankfully, about abnormalities of the umbilical cord are rare; and if something goes wrong, this can normally exist detected past a pregnancy ultrasound. Even so, it'southward good to be informed about what tin can get wrong, and what questions you lot might want to ask your doctor virtually whatsoever umbilical cord abnormalities.

Like umbilical cord abnormalities, it'due south rare for any complexity to happen equally your infant's umbilical cord stump heals. Again, it'southward ever better to be rubber than distressing, so don't hesitate to achieve out to your baby'due south pediatrician if you have any questions nigh your baby's umbilical cord care.

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