Nuchal cord?

[Lana23]

Hello everybody

I'm 36 weeks and I just had an u/s and the doctor told me that the cord might be around my baby's neck.He said he couldn't tell if it's wrapped or just near, but it was there =/

I was wondering if anyone else had/have similar experience now or in the past pregnancies and if so what was the outcome.
I'm very worried since the baby hasn't stopped moving for more than 24 h now.
Everything else looked fine during the u/s.

Thanks

[olive&pimiento]

Hugs to you mama. I can't even imagine what your doctor was thinking, scaring you this way. Nuchal cords are VERY common, like one in every four deliveries. They most often cause no problems at all. The cord is just looped over the babies head and the baby is then deliveried. Occasionally, the cord will be tight and either need to be cut, or the baby can be sumersauted as it is delivered. There are very few incidences where the cord gets pinched and impedes blood flow. I hope lots of mamas here can add their stories and calm your fears.

[bc1995]

My dd1 had the cord around her neck 2 or 3 times (I can't remember for sure). They also thought they saw it on an u/s a couple weeks before she was born. She was staying in an oblique position until right before delivery, so they wondered if the nuchal cord was a contributing factor in her position. She was born at just shy of 42 weeks in a perfect vaginal delivery with no problems. They just unwrapped the cord from around her neck before I delivered her body. Like the pp said, try not to worry. It really is very common.

[lilylumos]

My DD was born with a nuchal cord, the midwife just looped the cord around and it was all fine. My husband said they kind of jumped into action when they saw it, but no one panicked or made a big deal out of it, I didn't know until after delivery. It was not seen on ultrasound. Also, she had a knot tied in her cord. The umbilical cord is an amazing thing, it is rare for it to be bad enough to cut off supply to the baby.

I also know of several other babies, born vaginally with no issues with a nuchal cord. Try not to worry! Stress and worry are no good for baby!

[RedOakMomma]

All of my babies were born that way. One even had it wrapped around twice. It is NOT a cause for concern, really. It happens all the time.

When the baby is born, the OB or midwife just quickly unwraps the cord so that the cord can be long enough to hold the baby up and rub them down, or to place them on your chest. Dh said our OB did it so fast he hardly saw that the cord was there.

Really. It's normal and it's OKAY.

[rlmueller]

Yup

at 36 weeks she was breech with nuchal cord x's2 and posteriour. She has since to--on her own--flip head down, unwrap the cord completely and turn in the right direction. Don't sweat chica.

[umsami]

I know at least one of my babies had this issue. I remember them telling me, don't push right now, they unwrapped it... and then whomever (can't remember which one) came out.

As others have said, it's very common... and I don't think it's something you should worry about. Also know that in some studies, there was a pretty high false positive rate(19%) (U/S saying there was a nuchal cord, but there wasn't.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuchal_cord

From your post, I think you're saying that your baby has been very active the past 24 hours. That I wouldn't worry about. HOWEVER, if I'm misreading it, and you have felt no movement in the past 24 hours, that is something to investigate. If that's the case, I would try drinking/eating something high in sugar.... and then lying down quietly some where and seeing if you feel anything. If not, I would call your OB.

[mariaz]

My 1st daughter was born UC with a double nuchal cord. It was wrapped to tightly to take off immediately but was easily unwound after she was fully out.

She was, and continues to be, just perfect.

[organicpapayamama]

I had no idea my sons cord was wrapped around his neck prior to delivery. when he came out it was wrapped around his neck twice. It wasnt an issue at all. He wasnt born blue or with heart decels... he was perfectly happy.

[Bokonon]

DS had a double nuchal cord. He had issues at birth, but they were totally unrelated to and not caused by the cord (he was a c-section anyway).

DD had a double nuchal cord a couple of weeks before birth, but wasn't by the following week (I had frequent ultrasounds due to severe preeclampsia).

Like the PPs said, it's really nothing to worry about!

[megviolet]

Are you worried because your baby is moving a lot and you think it might tangle itself in the cord more? Or because your baby hasn't been moving much the last day....?

I'm really confused as to why your OB/midwife or whoever would even tell you that... it is SO common and really pretty irrelevant!

My DD was born with the cord around her neck 2-3 times as well, in her case we had to have the cord cut before i could push her out the rest of the way, but it was no problem at all
She was head down and engaged for about a week before i gave birth and she didn't roll or turn at all during that time (i still felt her moving though) so i assume the cord was around her neck that whole time... and likely longer.

Try not to worry

[megviolet]

Also, if it helps you feel better, remember that your baby is getting his oxygen from the cord and placenta, not needing to breathe through his throat until the cord is cut after delivery.
AND, because he is buoyant in the waters in your womb, he isn't going to really have a way to pull that cord tight enough to cut off his circulation anyway

[Plummeting]

DD had the cord wrapped around her neck 3 times and no problems at all - Apgars were 8 and 9 and she was born pink and healthy. The only reason I even remember is because once her head was out, the midwife said, "Don't push for a minute because I need to get the cord off her neck." Then she counted how many loops there were as she was pulling them over her head. I probably wouldn't even remember if it hadn't been for the situation seeming so weird to me at the time: Me lying there with a baby part in and part out as the midwife yelled out, "One, two, three!" while the nurse wrote it down. lol

[lisalulu]

DS#1 had his cord wrapped twice and like the pp's it wasn't a problem. They caught it and unwrapped it as he was being born.

[Lana23]

Thanks

Thanks for the replays.I was worried coz the baby is moving all the time,more than usually.However,today she slowed down a bit.

[sostinkinhappy]

I don't think you need to worry too much - my little niece was born with the cord wrapped around her neck four times AND she had a true knot in it as well! The doc was just astounded and said it was a record for him.

She was born in a normal vaginal delivery, SIL just had to not push for a moment while he unlooped the cord. The baby was fine w/ great Apgar scores and is now a healthy, vibrant 10 year old.