All nine months of pregnancy, mom and babyhave a connection due to the umbilical cord that extends from the abdominal wall of the fetus (this place, having a kind of scar after birth, is called the navel) and attached to the placenta. The umbilical cord is a cord in the form of a twisted spiral containing one vein and two umbilical arteries. Arterial blood with oxygen and nutrients from the placenta to the fetus comes through the umbilical arteries. Blood flows through the vein from the fetus to the placenta, enriched with carbon dioxide and metabolic products. Possible cord injury by the umbilical cord creates a threat to the life of the fetus due to oxygen starvation (intrauterine hypoxia). After cutting the umbilical cord at the birth of a child, he begins to live separately from his mother. Early cutting of the umbilical cord (in the first few seconds after delivery) leads to loss of arterial blood and a deficiency of iron and hemoglobin in the blood of the newborn.
Protects the vessels of the umbilical cord (fromany harmful effects and mechanical damages) surrounding them a special gelatinous material consisting of mucopolysaccharides, and called warton jelly. The umbilical cord allows not only to exchange arterial and venous blood between the mother's body and the fetus, but also to make movements in the amniotic fluid, during which, for various reasons, the umbilical cord may become entangled. Developing with the child, the umbilical cord at the time of his birth corresponds to the usual growth of a newborn (on average 55 cm) and has a diameter of one and a half to two centimeters.
A lot of umbilical anomalies are known, they are notcan always be established by prenatal ultrasound. Many of them are not obvious before delivery. Only in the case of monochorionic twins (identical twins having a common placenta), undivided by a septum, and also placenta previa (with the risk of its detachment), an early warning can be obtained. Such an anomaly, as the umbilical cuff, forms risk factors that are characterized by various complications and suggest certain behaviors to prevent associated diseases and mortality.
The length of the umbilical cord for unknown reasons is 5%of cases can be less than 35 cm, and in 5% of cases longer than 80 cm. Short umbilical cord restricts and disrupts fetal intrauterine movements, and also creates a risk of premature placental abruption. Too long umbilical cord leads to entanglement of the fetus, that is, an umbilical cord can become entangled due to the formation of true knots. Evaluation of the length of the umbilical cord is prenatal (that is, before delivery) is not possible. In addition to the true nodes during pregnancy, false nodules can also form on the umbilical cord. The true sites account for approximately 1% of pregnancies with a high proportion of cases of monochorionic twins. False nodes (kinks in the vessels of the umbilical cord) are more common, but not dangerous for the fetus.
A true umbilical cord arises from movementsfetus and most likely develops in the early stages of pregnancy, when there is a relatively large amount of amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid), so the fetal movement is more intense. The risk of the formation of true nodes directly depends on the age of the mother, the length of the umbilical cord and the amount of amniotic fluid. Frequent stress and increased levels of adrenaline in the blood increase the mobility of the fetus.
Probable crocheting of the umbilical cord is diagnosed byfetal hypoxia during cardiotocography. Then, an echographic study is carried out, which examines the presence of loops formed by the umbilical cord in the neck. Also conduct a color Doppler study and study the movement of blood through the vessels. If the hypoxia of the fetus is suspected, these studies are repeated several times during the pregnancy of the woman, because as a result of the fetal movement the nodes can not only become entangled, but also unravel. The umbilical cord implantation during childbirth causes bradycardia of the fetus. Reducing the risk allows for the constant monitoring of the fetal heartbeat, stimulation is also used to accelerate childbirth, and in case of urgent need, the operation for urgent fetal extraction is performed - cesarean section.
