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A doula Seven Gates Birth shared this amazing image explaining what happens with a nuchal cord.

Sharing the image on Facebook the doula explained how a baby she had just helped deliver was born with a nuchal cord wrapped around his foot.

What Is A Nuchal Cord?

“The birth I just attended, the baby had 3 and a 4th umbilical around his foot! Baby was born perfectly happy and healthy. So what is it? A nuchal cord is when the baby’s umbilical cord has become wrapped around the baby’s neck once or even multiple times. I will admit, that along with many, that sounds alarming and abnormal, when in fact reports show that about a third of babies born will have a nuchal cord.

“As the baby moves and repositions during labor, the umbilical cord has the opportunity to do so as well, sometimes resulting in a nuchal cord. There is often fear around this topic as stories are shared how a baby becomes distressed under these circumstances, yet it’s also important to share that umbilical cords are designed to be stretched and wrapped and have natural properties such as a component called Wharton’s jelly that supports it’s ability to move in tight circumstances and resist compression of its vessels to still allow for adequate blood flow and oxygen to travel to the baby.

What You Didn’t Know

“Many associate and picture a cord being wrapped around a baby’s neck to mean that the baby cannot breathe, as that would typically be the case for a baby outside the womb, when in reality, a baby is not yet breathing through its lungs when still in utero. Umbilical cords can stretch up to 12x their size, which makes it rare and unlikely that the cord would become too tightly wrapped, resulting in restricted oxygen.

If a baby has a nuchal cord at birth, your provider will gently unwrap the cord as baby emerges and you may not even know unless your provider shares.”

amazing birth photo

Incredible!

The post has attracted over 1,000 shares and many comments of pure amazement.

“Love this. The umbilical cord is such a beautiful thing in itself. My second son was born with two true knots in his cord, and was completely fine and healthy.”

One wrote, “Thank you so much for sharing. This is one of my biggest pregnancy fears!! Reading this has def. helped easy my worry. I will def share with the many anxious prego moms I know in hopes to ease so of the pregnancy anxiety.”

Another shared, “Thanks for that – all my five babies were nuchaled! It always a bit much when people try to make it sound as if it’s some sort of super birth trauma.”

It’s Beautiful

Another doula MommaArts also shares her views:

“Parents ask me ‘What if the cord is wrapped around their neck?’ Well, honestly, I am surprised when it’s not. Babies twist and turn in the womb, and one thought is the cord wraps around baby to protect from, the rare but catastrophic, cord prolapse. The Wharton’s jelly, which covers and protects the vital vessels, is slippery and made to slip right over the the baby or gives to allow baby to slip through. It’s a beautiful system, she says”

What an amazing thing to witness!  Was your child born with a nuchal cord? Share your comments below.

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  • The human body is just amazing.

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  • As long as bub is ok that is all that matters.

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  • That’s an amazing photo. I didn’t know that about the cord. Very interesting.

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  • This picture really scares me! Hope it doesn’t happen with mine

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  • My son had 2 true knots in his , our bodies are truly magical

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  • So scary but I am so glad it normally isn’t a sign of worry!

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  • My 2nd had the cord around his neck and my husband said it was so scary.

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  • Honestly this is one of my big fears, none of my babies had a cord around their neck but I know few who have.

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  • Truly amazing. Scary at first but amazing what we can do

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  • This is such a grea piece if article. I never thought of this ever, I am glad else could have anxiety. But nature is so amazing that it takes care of the baby when there is no one to do it for them in the women.

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  • When I was giving birth to my last child they said stop push the cord is around the babies neck twice as they were trying to loosen it and it was very hard hearing that as you can’t stop what your body is doing during a birth. So when my son was born he was blue as the cord was tight around his neck so they had to work on him to get him to breath and your laying there as you’re carried this child for nine months and he might be dead and once he cries it is such a relief and he had to go into a humi crib for a couple of days and he had to be checked by a Pediatrician and see if he was fine without any breathing problems and no brain damage. He came home not even two days home and he just turned blue on me scared the crap out of me and was put into hospital to see why it happened, so it was scary when he was growing up and he had to have Physio where they do the pattering on him so I had to learn how to do it.

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  • What a beautiful photo. Thank you for shedding light on this matter and educating us. I learnt something new about our amazing body today!

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  • Beautiful photo! It truely is amazing what happens whilst inside and to be aware that as mentioned the cord can stretch so much was a great bit of insight to know.

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  • That babe was wrapped up tight! There’s so much that goes on during childbirth that midwives and nurses are so adept at assisting with, correcting, cleaning we don’t even realize. Bless them.

    Still, 4 wraps of the cord. I wonder what the record for such a thing is. Neck, hands, feet, torso?

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  • I mean if you don’t like it, you don’t have to look…

    Reply

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