Worries on Nuchal Cords Occurrence

Months before going into the labor room, I had read and watched videos on birthing a baby and what needs to be done to get it right, but my experience was entirely different from all the videos I had previously watched and one of those experiences was that my baby had a nuchal cord.

Previous stories of similar cases I have read about show that it is not a rare case and it usually would not cause problems during pregnancy or after birth. My case was however quite different because I had long hours of intense labor and with the umbilical cord wrapped around my baby's neck, it was so tight that it would have choked him to death, but miraculously, that didn't happen. Curious about why this happened in the first place, I decided to study about it.

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Umbilical cords serve as the lifeline that connects the mother with a baby in the womb, this cord runs from the baby's abdomen to the placenta. It is provides nutrients, oxygen, and blood to the growing fetus. Nuchal cords are discovered only at birth typically, very rare tosee it through an ultrassound.

Nuchal cords could occur in a single or multiple loops, it can also be either loosely or tightly wrapped around the neck. There are two types of nuchals according to Giacomllo, et al. Type A is the freely sliding one that could undo itself, and type B is the type that encircles the neck in a locked manner and is unable to undo itself.

These knots could be either in a single or multiple form, if the nuchal cord occurs at the onset of labor, it is not very likely to be able to correct itself.
The body part where the cord is looped has reduced blood flowing into it during contractions, causing the baby's heart beat to fall. If the flow of blood is completely cut off before delivery, it could result in still birth.

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Mainly, nuchal cord is caused as a result of excessive fetal movement, other medical reasons include; excessive amniotic fluid, an abnormally long umblical cord, having twins or more, and a weak cord structure. There is usually no symptoms associated with a nuchal cord except during child birth or occasionally when it is seen during an ultrasound scan.

There is currently no way to prevent nuchal cords from happening, it isn't the fault of the mother in the first place, when a doctor notices signs of `distress in either of the parties involved, he or she would recommend a cesarean section. Cases of complications (which are rare) could lead to; Anemia, delay in development, decreased fetal movements, umblical cord knots, low level of blood circulating, still birth, hypovolemia and metabolic acidosis.

Conclusion.

Most cases of nuchal cords does not have any complication or issue attached, so pregnant women who find themselves in this position have no reason to fear. Getting the help of a certified doctor will safely guide you through the process of delivery.

For Further Studies.

https://utswmed.org/medblog/nuchal-cord-during-pregnancy/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5719938/nuchal cord
https://unmhealth.org/stories/2022/12/nuchal-cord-managing-delivery-umbilical-cord-wraps-around-babys-neck.html

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319762#management-and-monitoring

https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/nuchal-cord#qampa

https://www.webmd.com/baby/what-to-know-about-nuchal-cord

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Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.