[naturallia]

What do you guys do if there's a cord prolapse?

 

[alegna]

Go to the hospital.<br><br>
-Angela

 

[Rockies5]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>alegna</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7934850"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Go to the hospital.<br><br>
-Angela</div>
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--in the knee chest position (booty in the air, try to keep baby off the cord; it would be nice to have an extra set of hands to help keep baby off the cord in that case)<br><br>
But I have always wondered about this. My last few babies come so fast 1-3pushes, less then a minute from urge to baby. I have never looked for a cord.

 

[AuntG]

Go immediately to the hospital.

 

[rajahkat]

I think sometimes you are able to feel the cord in your vagina if it sweeps down with your water breaking prior to the pushing stage. If I felt this, and confirmed it by checking, I would probably head to the hospital.<br><br>
Otherwise, like Carie said, my pushing stage tends to be super short, if my water broke during pushing, and cord was down with baby, baby would be born quickly enough.<br><br>
Kat

 

[Intertwined]

I would go to the hospital if birth was not imminent (like in the next few moments). It (along with previa) is on the very short list of Things I Would Have A C-Section For.

 

[wombjuice]

How common is cord prolapse?

 

[rajahkat]

<a href="http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3276.htm#section~cord_prolapse" target="_blank">http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic32...~cord_prolapse</a><br><br>
The first site I found states prolapse occurs in 3% of vertex births and 3.7% of breech births.<br><br>
But it doesn't say what percentage of those births have ROM (be it AROM, or PROM )prior to the prolapse.<br><br>
Kat

 

[naturallia]

Oh, it's not that common. Whew.<br><br>
I'm just trying to prepare myself, arming myself to the hilt with information and all that. It's scary taking the plunge to UC, even though I'm not pregnant yet.

 

[Intertwined]

I kwym, it was scary at first to think about all the things that could/might go wrong. I got to a place where I knew so much about birth my head sometimes spun! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/dizzy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Dizzy">: But ultimately, if something arises that you are uncomfortable with *you make the choice about what to do. That's the best part about UC. When we were considering transporting, it was JUST me and Dh talking about it. No one who had their own booty on the line was in the conversation.

 

[Mommyintraining2]

Thank you naturalia for asking this. I am going through my list of what ifs right now. I have three more months to prepare myself mentally for all the potential risks.

 

[AuntG]

I have three months also, but like others, I read so many books about birth (nine total!) that I got to a point that my head was spinning! Everything started to be "old news" and I was craving some new information.<br><br>
Cord prolapse is pretty much the only reason I would get scared and want to transport. Everything else seems to be so rare, or comes with a list of things to try in order to fix it that I am not as worried as I was in the beginning!

 

[mwherbs]

I think it would depend on when it happens in labor- if I am pushing it has only taken me a few pushes to ever get any of my kids out so I would just continue doing that and be ready to resuscitate --<br>
if the baby were high -- practically stand on my head- try to replace it- transfer via ambulance- and I wouldn't let them force me into standing up or laying down!

 

[heathenmom]

This was VERY much on our minds during the end of my pregnancy, as our baby had an "unstable lie." She moved a LOT, from transverse to oblique to frank breech, but spent the most time transverse & oblique. My mw & ob told us we were at a higher risk for cord prolapse if my water broke when she was in that position. Cord prolapse is on the very short list of birth-related things that scare the crap out of me, so when she hadn't settled into a good position by 40w6d, we finally reluctantly agreed to schedule a c/s for 41w4d. I went into labor at 41 weeks, she engaged (head-down!) and was born pretty quickly with no complications in a beautiful UC. FYI, my water broke 30-45 minutes before she was born (not sure exactly of the timing) and dh did check me for a cord but felt head instead.

 

[Mommyintraining2]

So is it pretty obvious that there is a prolapsed cord? I don't mean to sound ignorant, but does it stick out before the head, with the head? I am just learning about all of this <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment">

 

[rixafreeze]

You can have a dramatic prolapse where the cord hangs down into the vagina or is even visible outside. You can also have an occult cord prolapse where it's pinched alongside the head, but not hanging down where you can feel it.

 

[cottonwood]

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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">The first site I found states prolapse occurs in 3% of vertex births and 3.7% of breech births.</td>
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There is no way that natural prolapse is that common. I'm highly skeptical that even iatrogenic prolapse is that common. You so rarely hear about it happening. I did a search in the birth stories forum here, where there are over 1000 birth stories posted, and core prolapse is mentioned as having happened only once (although no details, and incidently that was a mother who went on to UC for her next birth.)

 

[cottonwood]

I forgot to answer the OP. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin"> In my case it just wasn't an issue because the baby's head was engaged well before labor began. If I had been in active labor with baby still high and floating I would have been concerned, listened to baby's heartrate as s/he descended and felt for a possible prolapse. I really don't know, in that situation, if I'd continue to go it alone. If a prolapse did occur, I'd transfer in chest-knee position with the cord gently put back inside if possible or covered with a warm wet cloth.

 

[jes_mar_wak_hod]

This may be a dumb question, but is there no safe way to tuck it back inside, far anough so that it would no longer be compressed? Why or why not?

 

[mataji4]

Our protocol for cord prolapse is what the homebirth midwives do, too- call 911 immediately. It's one of those things that you just don't want to see at a homebirth, as although it is SUPER rare (I've only heard of one case here in the homebirth circle in the last 8 years, and it ended in a stillbirth) it is a serious danger to baby's life. I'm glad that my babies, too, are well engaged before birth.