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Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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A Knot in the Umbilical Cord
QUESTION
Dear Dr. Greenfield,
When my baby was born the doctor showed me the umbilical cord because there was a knot in it. My question is how will this affect my baby?

— Scared Mom in Massachusetts

ANSWER
March 13, 2001
Dear Scared Mom,
A knot in the umbilical cord is not that uncommon, and if it were going to cause any problems for your baby, it would have been evident at the time of delivery. If a knot is present, it usually occurs as the baby is born--the cord forms a loop and the baby slips through, creating a knot. Even if it formed well before delivery, in most cases the blood flow through the cord manages to stay unhindered and the baby does just fine.

If your baby was born in good condition (that is, with reasonable Agpar scores and a normal birth weight), there is no reason to think that the knot caused any problems. If you have further questions, your doctor can help you understand what happened in your particular situation.

— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.

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