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Your babys umbilical cord is his lifeline, connecting him to your placenta.
What is velamentous cord insertion?
In a normal pregnancy, fetal blood vessels run via the umbilical cord directly into theplacenta.
But velamentous cord insertion is a complication in which the umbilical cord doesnt insert into the placenta properly.
The good news is that it rarely causes serious problems.
Youll just need more monitoring during your pregnancy and when youre giving birth.
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How is velamentous cord insertion diagnosed?
(In some cases, your doctor may detect it in a first trimester scan.)
He says diagnosis is 95 to 100% accurate once this abnormality is observed on a scan.
Connect with other parents who have experienced pregnancy complications in theWhat to Expect app.
When does velamentous cord insertiontypically happen?
Experts dont know the exact timeline of when the cord abnormally inserts.
But its usually detected during a second trimester ultrasound.
Who is most at risk of having a velamentous cord insertion?
Can velamentous cord insertion hurt my baby?
The chances that this pregnancy complication will harm your baby are very low.
I had a velamentous cord insertion with my first.
Chronic compression is thought to be associated with in utero growth restriction.
What can you do about velamentous cord insertion?
We do ultrasounds to assess growth every four weeks, usually starting at 24 weeks, says Dr. Rebarber.
I had this with my first pregnancy.
I had regular ultrasounds and baby was growing well.
Is there any way to prevent velamentous cord insertion?
Theres no way to prevent velamentous cord insertion its something that happens for no apparent reason during fetal development.
This diagnosis, typically made at the 20-week ultrasound,often results in increased pregnancy monitoring.
