During the process of pregnancy, there may be a situation where the umbilical cord wraps around the neck, which can cause panic among mothers, especially in the late stages of pregnancy. They are afraid of harming the baby. Can vaginal delivery be performed when the umbilical cord wraps around the neck?
Mothers usually find out through some examination reports that their babies have been wrapped in the umbilical cord. If these situations occur, it is very likely that the mother has more amniotic fluid in her belly and the baby is moving more, so it is wrapped. The umbilical cord wrapped around the neck may occur at any time during your pregnancy, and sometimes changes may occur in the late stages of pregnancy. In rare cases, the umbilical cord wrapped around the neck may unravel on its own. In many production cases, it is common for the baby's umbilical cord to wrap around the neck during delivery. Although wrapping the umbilical cord around the neck can give people the illusion of choking the baby, the fetal umbilical cord is wrapped in a protective gel like substance, similar to cartilage, which protects the arteries and veins passing through the umbilical cord from compression.
Usually during childbirth, the baby's head has already been delivered, and the midwife or doctor will check if there is an umbilical cord around the baby's neck and gently open it. Because the umbilical cord is the bond of support for the baby, in some cases, if it is too tightly wound, the doctor will choose to use two umbilical cord clamps to hold the umbilical cord, and then cut it between the two clamps. After that, the baby needs to be delivered as soon as possible. So the situation where the umbilical cord wraps around the neck of the baby can make the delivery more compact, but it doesn't necessarily require a cesarean section and can still be delivered naturally. When this situation occurs, the mother should pay more attention to the fetal heart rate during normal times. Once the fetal heart rate drops significantly, she needs to go to the hospital for examination immediately.
