Umbilical Cord Problems and Birth Injuries

Why the Umbilical Cord Matters

If the child doesn’t have access to the umbilical cord, it can lead to severe health complications. After the doctor delivers the child, they cut the umbilical cord so that the child can breathe on their own. Before this, however, several issues can occur if the umbilical cord has problems because your child depends on it for their sustenance. Some of the most common problems with the umbilical cord include:

  • Prolapsed umbilical cord
  • Umbilical cord knots
  • Nuchal cord
  • Umbilical cord cysts
  • Cord stricture

The medical community doesn’t consider umbilical cord problems a birth injury in and of itself. Still, they can lead to a birth disorder if the doctor fails to respond quickly enough. Quick response time matters because that’s the key to getting through this problem before it has the opportunity to materialize into something worse. You have to monitor the signs properly.

Prolapsed Umbilical Cord

When this condition happens, it means that the cord dropped into the mother’s birth canal during delivery. While rare, it can be a serious condition. One in every 300 mothers will experience a prolapsed umbilical cord. Some of the common reasons that this situation occurs include:

  • Premature delivery
  • Breech delivery
  • A long umbilical cord
  • Excessive amniotic fluid

Nuchal Cord

A dangerous condition, the nuchal cord, happens if the umbilical cord gets wrapped around the child’s neck. As you can imagine, this can be a hazardous condition. In most cases, it’s only a single coil. But, there are cases where it might turn into multiple coils that wrap themselves around your baby’s neck. Doctors see this condition more often with male infants than female. There are cases where it happens for unknown reasons. Normally, doctors will resolve this problem before delivery. However, if it doesn’t get treated on time, it can lead to some classic symptoms due to umbilical cord problems. These include a lack of oxygen, restricted blood flow, heart defects, and decreased fetal development.

The medical community continues to research these umbilical cord problems and why they arise. Figuring out the causes could go a long way in helping to resolve them. Also, doctors want to understand how they can treat these problems before they have the chance to develop into a lifelong disability like cerebral palsy. Doctors have to properly monitor the infant’s vital signs to ensure that nothing is going wrong during delivery. If your child experienced umbilical cord problems during birth that developed into an injury, it might be due to medical practice. Discuss your case with a qualified professional to determine if you’re eligible for compensation.