cord around the neck of fetus

[baker123]

This query is for my wife .
She is now 8 months pregnant , And in recent scan there was a remark saying that ,
"Two loops of cord around the neck of fetus".
doctor told , nothing much to worry but keep observing the baby movement and there is a chance of C-section also.

i want to know ,
1:what was the reason this situation happened..?
2:is there any extra care we have to do in following days..?

thanks in advance

 

[baker123]

bump

 

[Take2]

I would do some research, as far as I was aware it's reasonably common and rarely is a c section required, I'm no expert though so I would ask the doctor for an explanation!

 

[winterbabies3]

I heard this actually happens alot and usually the doctors just slip the cord away from the neck when coming out...two loops tho? Not sure. Good luck. If anything call the doctor and have her explain more so you don't worry!

 

[nessaw]

I had my baby 2 weeks ago after being induced and needing forceps-neither of which was due to the cord and it hadn't been seen on any scans-we'd had a lot due to previous loss. When she came out she had the cord looped round twice. We were on the consultant led unit and they took her off the the side unlooped it and she was fine. They did checks on her oxygen levels for a few hours but that was also due to meconium in her waters after being 2 weeks overdue. The midwife said it's actually very common. When she was inside she was very active so looking back it doesn't surprise me-my husband actually said about the possibility a couple of weeks before the due date. Will you have another scan nearer the due date? And possibly be on a consultant led unit? Good luck.x

 

[Qmama79]

I that is one of my fears, so I researched it s bit. It's very common. About 1/3 babies are born with cord around neck. It shouldn't be an issue when the cord is healthy. It's strong enough to not be compressed, even through labor. Your child gets circulation & oxygen through the cord at the moment.

 

[marigold91]

I don't have any experience with this, but am really grateful for all these replies because it's been my #1 fear! Thank you ladies.

 

[Jaxvipe]

My daughther was born with the cord around her neck and was fine. We had weekly ultrasounds with her at the end and the didnt say anything about it. I've read it's fairly common for that to happen

 

[Ganton]

My DS2 was born with the cord around his neck. The only reason I knew about it was because the midwife commented that he was well and truly wrapped up in his cord, but she didn't say it in a panicked way at all. She just calmly looped it back over his head once his head was born but before the final push to get his body out. That was the first and only time we heard anything about his cord, do it really didn't seem like a big deal. I had previously heard from someone else that it's actually very common for the cord to be wrapped round the baby, and most people don't even find out as the midwives just sort it out without saying anything.

 

[broodymrs]

We had a scan near the end and the cord was round his neck. It might actually be the pic I have on my profile. I was told it was no big deal, they just unloop it as baby comes out. Doesn't hurt to ask your dr though. I did ultimately have a c sec but wasn't anything to do with the cord

 

[baker123]

Thanks all

 

[NDH]

Approximately 1/3 of babies are born with a nuchal cord. When the cord is exceptionally short or its looped a lot of times, the birth can require some tricky manoeuvering to somersault the baby out, but most of the time it doesn't pose any issue whatsoever. During a contraction the whole uterus is pushed downwards so the placenta essentially moves down with the baby providing additional cord length.
Some drs do seem strangely afraid of nuchal cords and may attempt to cut it while only the baby's head has emerged but do NOT allow them to do that.
I can't link it from my phone, but if you Google 'midwifery today nuchal cords' you will find a very informative article about them.

 

[crazy4baby09]

My son was born with the cord around his neck and it was tight. The doctor and nurses started rushing around when they discovered it. He needed help breathing and the nurses had to work on him for a bit, but thankfully he was ok. His cry was strained for 6 months. That being said the next day while I was still in the hospital a little girl was also born with the cord around her neck, but it was more severe and she had to be life flighted to the children's hospital. Even though it is common for babies to be born with the cord around their neck it can still be a life threatening situation. I think its good that your doctor is being cautious in regards to it.

 

[sineady]

My son's cord was wrapped around his neck and arm and it ended up in an emergency c-section as his heartbeat kept stopping

 

[Qmama79]

Doctors tend to point at nuchal cord when issues arise. My LO was struggling with the pitocin contractions and my uterus became overstimulated & I got stuck in powerful continuous contractions. But not once did the docs mention it was the intervention that caused the distress. The cord might complicate things, but other factors will play a role too. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Lilllian]

My son was born at home, in water, with the cord wrapped twice around his neck - the midwife unravelled it and he was totally fine

 

[xdxxtx]

My first-born was born with the cord wrapped around his neck three times (naturally, after a long labor and lots of pushing because the cord kept pulling him back in). We figured the cord was strangling him since he went into distress with every contraction. So my MW suggested I just push push push with all my might and get that baby out. As soon as he was out, she clamped and unwrapped my baby. He was perfect - not blue, not weak, NO issues at all. Just wanted to scare the rest of us. I wouldn't worry if it happened again. If baby is in danger, we have practitioners that we trust with our lives and theirs, and they will get our babies out safely.

 

[KandyKinz]

As mentioned above, statistically 1 in 3 babies will have the cord wrapped around their neck. It's VERY common and more often than not it causes no problems at all. Baby is born and you just unravel them, it tends not to be a very uncomplicated thing. I even attended one birth where the cord was wrapped around the babies neck 5 times! Never had I seen such a long cord, but baby was perfectly fine.

If a nuchal cord does pose a problem the most likely problem that occurs is the labour just doesn't progress, because the cord is no longer long enough to allow baby to descend into the pelvis or on occasion it can interfere with the amount of oxygen baby is getting which can cause the heart rate to drop. Both of those things would lead to a cesarean. But again, more often than not, a cord around the neck will cause no problems at all.

 

[BunNtheOven]

My daughters cord was wrapped around twice. Ended up having an emergency c section because babys heartbeat stopped. Don't mean to scare but it could happen. :/ I hope for the best.