Umbilical cord prolapse: Causes and treatment

During the final weeks of pregnancy, you will probably start to worry more about your baby's health. To make sure your baby is completely healthy, it's best to have regular prenatal check-ups. During this time, many people must be very worried if they have an umbilical cord fall. Why is the umbilical cord? Let aFamilyToday Health follow up with the following shares to understand more about this situation.

Umbilical cord prolapse is when the umbilical cord falls down through the cervix and into the birth canal before the baby. This causes the umbilical cord to be pinched between the pelvic wall. It occurs in about 1 in 10 births and is mainly during childbirth, but is mild and underdeveloped.

Umbilical cord prolapse is more common during labor, but it can still appear later in pregnancy when the baby begins to move more. During pregnancy and labor, many babies will experience this in mild and not cause much harm.

However, there are cases where the umbilical cord prolapse can become severe and last for a while. The umbilical cord is responsible for providing vital nutrients and oxygen to your baby. If the umbilical cord is compressed for a long time, the amount of blood and oxygen transferred to the baby will decrease. In addition, this condition can also alter the baby's heart rate.

Risk of cord prolapse?

When a baby's heart rate changes due to a pinched umbilical cord, it can lead to complications like fetal failure with symptoms like a sudden drop in heart rate, blood pressure and decreased oxygen levels. Your baby's heart rate should be less than 115 beats / min lasting more than 15 seconds but less than 10 minutes.

In addition, this condition also changes blood pressure due to changes in the baby's heart rate. The umbilical cord is compressed, causing the veins on the umbilical cord to also compress, leading to CO2 build up in the blood, causing respiratory acidosis .

The damage caused by the umbilical cord prolapse will depend on how long the umbilical cord is compressed. If the umbilical cord is pressed for a long time, the amount of blood and oxygen transferred to the baby's brain decreases. This will damage the brain.

In addition, this condition can also lead to a short-term lack of oxygen in the blood, which can cause many dangerous health complications, including fetal death. Although this is rare, you should also be careful.

What causes the umbilical cord to fall?

During childbirth, the umbilical cord is stretched and compressed, leading to a prolapse of the umbilical cord. During pregnancy, being overactive baby can also cause this condition. In addition, premature rupture of membranes can also be a cause of umbilical cord prolapse.

Premature rupture of membranes is the rupture of the membranes before labor. If your amniotic fluid ruptures before the 32nd week of pregnancy, you are 32 to 76% more likely to experience a prolapse of the umbilical cord. The fact that the umbilical cord moves down and down into the vagina before labor is also a cause of the tightening of the umbilical cord.

How do I know if I have a broken umbilical cord?

A pinched cord can be diagnosed before labor through an ultrasound. However, you won't be able to detect this condition without your doctor's help.

Treatment of cord prolapse

One of the most commonly used treatments is amniocentesis. Amniocentesis is the process of introducing a saline solution at room temperature into the uterus during labor in order to relieve the pressure that causes the umbilical cord to compress.

If the umbilical cord is only slightly compressed, treatment is to increase the amount of oxygen supplied to the mother to increase the amount of blood transfused through the umbilical cord. If severe, you will be closely monitored to see if your baby is in danger or not. If so, immediate intervention is required.

If the baby shows signs of fetal failure or the baby's heart rate suddenly decreases, the doctor will prescribe a cesarean section to ensure your baby's safety.