The umbilical cord

Once your egg cell is fertilized, a small miracle begins in your belly. In the first weeks of pregnancy, the formation of the umbilical cord also begins, creating the first strong connection between you and your growing baby — making the moment of separation often all the more emotional. Learn more in this article about the functions of the umbilical cord during your pregnancy, what complications can occur, and what thoughts you should have about your umbilical cord before birth.

Structure and Functions of the Umbilical Cord

You can think of the umbilical cord as a spiral-wound rope imagine that your Placenta connected with your baby. The advantage of this form is that it can adapt wonderfully by stretching or contracting. This way, it still has enough space in the uterus even at full length, and your baby does not get entangled in it. To ensure it remains particularly flexible and does not bend or break under bending stress, it is made of a gelatinous connective tissue. It is surrounded by a thin, transparent membrane, called the amnion – you might also know it as the sheep's membrane. While the umbilical cord is only about 15 millimeters long in the first few weeks, it grows with your baby and by the end of pregnancy, it is about 50 to 60 centimeters long and has a diameter of 1.5 to 2 centimeters.

With the Week 4 of pregnancy begins the formation of the umbilical cord. When your baby's heart starts beating, approximately in the 6th week of pregnancy , begins the umbilical cord with its main function: The care of your growing child. An umbilical vein carries blood and thus oxygen and important nutrients from the placenta to your baby. Conversely, two umbilical arteries transport waste products such as carbon dioxide and nutrient-poor blood from the embryo to the placenta. Additionally, the umbilical cord acts as a kind of filter that separates the maternal and fetal circulations. This is ensured by a membrane in the placenta, the so-called placental barrier, which prevents, for example, viruses or bacteria from reaching your baby.

Starting from the 8th week of pregnancy also fulfills an important role in the umbilical cord Protection function - from now on, you transfer antibodies to your child that can recognize pathogens and protect your little explorer from initial infections. And incidentally, this wondrous umbilical cord is also something like the first toy Your baby's, as many ultrasound images show. Starting from about the Week 14 it begins with exploring its surroundings, and grabbing the umbilical cord is not only a great activity but also an initial exercise for the important grasp reflex with which it is born. :)

Umbilical cord complications

Sometimes, the umbilical cord is positioned unfavorably or simply too long, which can cause harmless or serious complications. Usually, you do not notice any clear symptoms yourself, but your doctor detects an altered heart rate of your baby during the . Some umbilical cord complications occur during pregnancy, while others only during or after birth:

• Umbilical cord presentation : It has already happened here during pregnancy a part of your umbilical cord has been pushed into the birth canal and is thus positioned in front of your baby's head. As long as the amniotic sac has not yet ruptured, you can correct this, for example, by elevating your pelvis, so that a vaginal delivery may still be possible under certain circumstances. Otherwise, the care of your baby during birth would be at risk.

• Umbilical cord prolapse : Unlike the umbilical cord presentation, this one pushes forward after the water breaks a loop of umbilical cord before your baby in the birth canal. If your doctor detects the pulsating umbilical cord in your vagina during delivery, an often needs to be performed Cesarean section be initiated, as your baby would otherwise receive too little oxygen and nutrients. Fortunately, this is a very rare complication.

• Umbilical cord entanglements : If your child can still move around a lot in the womb, there may be umbilical cord entanglements around the neck, arms, or torso, which can sometimes already occur during Ultraschalluntersuchungen show. You don't have to worry that your child will choke on it. In most cases, a simple umbilical cord wrapping harmless and occurs in approximately every fifth pregnancy - in Multiple pregnancies even more frequently. Your baby will then be monitored especially closely during birth. In case of umbilical cord entanglement during the Ejektionsphase In case of supply issues, your midwife or your doctor can intervene quickly.

• Node: There is harmless "false" knots , which can be explained, for example, by a curvature or thickening of the umbilical cord sheath. Nodules can sometimes already be detected during ultrasound examinations in pregnancy, but often they are only found incidentally after birth. Very rarely, it leads to "real" knot in the umbilical cord, caused by movements of your baby. These true knots can result in impaired blood flow in the umbilical cord and may prevent sufficient oxygen supply to your baby. If a true knot is detected during your pregnancy, your doctor will regularly monitor your baby with the CTG and, if necessary, induce an early delivery by cesarean section initiate .

• Umbilical cord hernia: In this rare complication are Intestines and liver of your child turned outward and covered by a transparent wall of the expanded umbilical cord. An umbilical cord hernia can already occur at a Preventive examination can be detected by ultrasound, as it usually occurs before the 12th week of pregnancy develops. After birth, there is usually an operation in which the organs are repositioned back into your child's abdominal cavity.

• Umbilical hernia: Unlike an umbilical hernia, an umbilical hernia is often harmless and occurs in 5 to 10 percent of all infants. In this case, a herniation develops. Gap in the abdominal connective tissue of the umbilical cord , through which the umbilical cord was guided, as it only scars slowly. You can recognize an umbilical hernia by the fact that the navel visibly protrudes outward – but this is not associated with pain for your little explorer and often recedes within the first years of life.

The cutting of the umbilical cord

During the entire pregnancy, your body supplied your baby through the umbilical cord, and you were connected in an incomparable way. The cutting of the umbilical cord after birth therefore also holds great emotional and symbolic significance: now your baby takes its first independent breaths and is finally part of this big wide world. Many expectant fathers or mothers find it meaningful when they can prepare this moment for their little explorer – so it’s best to discuss with your partner before the birth whether he or she would like to cut the umbilical cord, and also ask the medical staff on site if this is possible. When the time comes, a few centimeters in front of your baby's abdomen and a bit further along, the umbilical cord is clamped with an umbilical clamp. This section can then be cut by your partner with scissors or a knife. Many are surprised at how much strength this requires. If the birth was too exhausting – who doesn’t know the image of fainting fathers in the delivery room :) – or if you are alone, someone from the birth team will naturally take over this task.

You should also consider before the birth when the umbilical cord should be cut and discuss this with your midwife and your doctor. hospitals It is common to clamp the umbilical cord 1 to 5 minutes after birth or after the pulsation has ceased. If you decide to do so, the to pulsate the umbilical cord , waiting with the separation until there is no more umbilical cord pulse and the entire blood of the placenta has reached your baby — this can take between 3 and 10 minutes. The pulsation method has the advantage that your child has an improved iron supply, even six months after birth. Unlike pulsation, during the " early disconnection "the umbilical cord immediately after birth. This is the case when there are complications, such as umbilical cord loops around your baby's neck, or when the newborn requires medical care, for example when it is as" Preemie to the world comes. At the Lotus Birth completely avoids cutting after birth. Instead, the baby and placenta remain connected until the umbilical cord naturally falls off after a few days.

The use of umbilical cord blood

If the umbilical cord is clamped early after delivery and does not pulsate, blood remains in it. Valuable stem cells can be obtained from this umbilical cord blood, which you that you can use or donate for your child , which benefits, for example, leukemia patients. To make a donation, you only need to fill out a questionnaire and provide a written consent, and you must be of legal age and healthy — to verify this, blood will be drawn from you before and after the birth. The collection of umbilical cord blood is not possible in every hospital — so it’s best to inform yourself in advance and ask your midwife if you plan to store your umbilical cord blood.

To access the blood, the umbilical cord is punctured. This is completely painless, so neither you nor your baby will notice anything. Afterwards, your donation is frozen at -186 degrees Celsius and stored in a public umbilical cord blood bank. Private companies also offer to store your umbilical cord blood for a fee if you want to reserve the stem cells for your child. The idea behind this is that if your child, for example, develops leukemia, type-1 diabetes, or a heart defect, it can be treated with its own stem cells. However, there is currently a lot of research being conducted on this, and no definitive statements can yet be made about whether therapies with one's own stem cells are promising.

The umbilical cord stump after birth

After birth, a few centimeters of umbilical cord still remain attached to your baby's belly, which is clamped with a small closure. Most of the time, this umbilical cord stump falls off on its own after about 2 to 5 days. To ensure that neither the wound nor the clamp is covered, our in sizes 1 and 2 have a cut-out at the waistband and are thus adapted to the sensitive baby belly button. Especially in the first two weeks after birth, your little explorer's navel needs special attention. All the information you need to know about care can be found in our article " ".

The connection between you and your child is something very special from the very beginning: the physical separation marks the start of an exciting and intense time with your baby, and your emotional bond will last a lifetime. We wish you a wonderful pregnancy and your little explorer a great start in life!