Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Cord Complications | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
I have two boys and both of them were born with the cord wrapped around their necks. What are the chances that my next child will be born the same way? (I'm due at the end of January 2002.)— Scared Cordless in Montgomery, Alabama | | | ANSWER |
October 11, 2001 | | | Dear Scared Cordless,
Cord complications are considered non-repeating problems. It's most likely that the finding of the cords around the necks of your babies was coincidence. That said, nuchal cord, as it is called, is certainly a common finding, and could happen again purely from chance.
Keep in mind that the baby doesn't get air through his throat as we do, so he doesn't get "choked" by the pressure of the cord. That said, the pressure on the cord during fetal descent can diminish the flow of blood to the baby and cause the heart rate to slow down as a fetal reflex response. While compression of the umbilical cord may create some fetal heart rate decelerations, this doesn't usually cause any long-term problems for the child, just some anxiety for the parents and caregivers during late labor. I hope that this answers your question. Take care!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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