What is meant by the definition of "knitting the umbilical cord around the neck of the fetus"?
This formulation is heard by many women with ultrasound, but not everyone understands exactly what it means, and how much the situation is dangerous to the health of the baby. First, let's talk about what the umbilical cord is all about.
The umbilical cord is an anatomical formation, representing a cord in which blood vessels are present. It is he who is the link between the mother and the fetus, directly through the umbilical cord to the future baby all the necessary substances come in, and the products of metabolism are diverted.
When the umbilical cord forms a loop around the neck of the fetus, the doctors say that it is a single wrap. Such a situation should not cause a future mother's panic and fear, tk. in most cases, the accent disappears. But it is necessary to say that it may be that the missing on the neck of the baby's neck will appear again. This is observed, as a rule, in the middle of pregnancy, when the motor activity of the fetus is very high.
Why is the neck of the fetus wrapped with the umbilical cord?
As already mentioned above, the main reason for the development of this situation is the excessive mobility of the fetus, which, in turn, may be a consequence of hypoxia. However, this phenomenon can be observed when:
- the fetus has a too long umbilical cord (over 70 cm);
- a large amount of amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios).
In addition to the above reasons, it is also necessary to say that such a violation can develop spontaneously, i. E. absolutely randomly (for example, the baby turned over, and the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck).
What are the consequences of such a phenomenon as cord injury?
Due to the fact that this phenomenon very often disappears spontaneously, it does not require any action on the part of doctors. However, if the crook is detected at 37 weeks and later, the pregnant woman is taken on a special account, which involves monitoring the position of the umbilical cord in the dynamics, by repeatedly performing ultrasound.
According to statistics, approximately 10% of all cases with accusations result in the development of complications. The main one is asphyxiation and, as a consequence, hypoxia (oxygen deficiency). This can be observed only with a double, tight cord with the cord around the neck, which has negative consequences. In such cases, in order to fully assess the condition of the baby, cardiotocography and dopplerometry are performed, which determine violations in the cardiovascular system, as well as the state of the blood flow.
With regard to the characteristics of births with a cord around the neck, the choice of tactics of delivery depends entirely on the type of accusation. So, if the baby has multiple (2 or more loops) hanging on the 38-39 week, then the birth is performed by cesarean section.
Thus, having understood that it is dangerous to wrap the cord around the neck of the fetus, we can say that this situation should not cause panic in the future mother, especially if this is a single hanging. If there is a suspicion of the possibility of developing complications, doctors always carefully monitor the baby's condition, conducting various hardware examinations.