Umbilical cord prolapse happens when the umbilical cord precedes the fetus' exit from the uterus. It is an obstetric emergency during pregnancy or labor that imminently endangers the life of the fetus. Cord prolapse is rare. Statistics on cord prolapse vary, but the range is between 0.14% and 0.62% of all births in most studies.
Cord prolapse is often concurrent with the rupture of the amniotic sac. After this happens the fetus moves downward into the pelvis and puts pressure on the cord. As a result, oxygen and blood supplies to the fetus are diminished or cut-off and the baby must be delivered quickly.
Read more about Umbilical Cord Prolapse: Treatment and Mortality Rate, Risk Factors
Famous quotes containing the word cord:
“The psychological umbilical cord is more difficult to cut than the real one. We experience our children as extensions of ourselves, and we feel as though their behavior is an expression of something within us...instead of an expression of something in them. We see in our children our own reflection, and when we don’t like what we see, we feel angry at the reflection.”
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