2 Vessels in the Umbilical Cord

Congrats on your pregnancy and being a AMA momma! I had my last at age 43.

I have seen this on the birthing TV shows and you can still have a happy healthy baby. Try to relax and let the doctors complete thier testing.

Take care,
-P.

No this is not normal, if they didn't mention any other abnormality, your baby still can be normal. You need to talk your doctor. I am including a website for you to look at. It's pretty interesting. Wishing you the best~
http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/681_4546.asp

HI M. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY PREGNANCY THEYED TOLD ME SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS COULD BE WRONG WITH MY DAUGHTER TOLD ME I SHOULD HAVE A AMNIO DONE TO SEE IF THE BABY HAD DOWN SYNDROME DONT WORRY MY DAUGHTER IS 2 YEARS OLD NOW AND WAS PERFECT AT BIRTH NOTHING WAS WRONG

The ultrasounds I had for my twins showed that one of them only had 2 vessels, but they told me not to worry because a lot of times the ultrasounds just dont pick up the 3rd. Ofcourse, I worried anyway, but they turned out just fine and the 3rd was there like it was supposed to be! Just try not to stress yourself out too much about it!

Hi M.,

Congratulations on you pregnancy!

There are some congenital anomalies that maybe associated with the 2 vessels, but the chances of NO problems are greater.

You can find information on a 2 vessel cord (or anything else) on dogpile.com Type in 2 vessel cord and there will be lots of information.(maybe more then you want). This may help answer some of your questions until you can talk to your Dr. Write any questions down as you think of them. Take them with you to your next Dr. visit. Make sure he or she addresses them. It's important for your Dr. to be willing to answer your questions without rushing you.

I'm sure the Dr. will or already has done more in depth testing and will watch the baby's growth closely during the pregnancy.

In the meantime don't worry, enjoy your pregnancy and your 8 month old. Worrying will not change anything, it will only create more stress. Stress can cause more problems for you and your baby!

I hope everything works out well for you and baby!

K. :)

M.,
I'm new to this site but saw your post an had to respond. My dd was a 2 vessel baby and she was born with NO problems (except she was 3 1/2 wk early). I was scared to death! Towards the end of the pregnancy I had weekly non-stress tests to be sure she was ok. I've heard that alot of 2 vessel babies come early so be prepared! But try not to worry. My dd is 2 1/2 now and perfectly normal. Good luck and congrats!

L.

Ya know, as a midwife it really irritates me when OB's get women all upset about things like this. It is true that one associated problem is congenital abnormality of the kidneys. It is also true that very VERY rarely there will be a problem with the heart. If the baby is growing normally, there is usually nothing to worry about.

Try to relax. Take advantage of the additional testing the dr's offer you if it will bring you peace of mind. Keep your nutrition at its best.

To do His work,
E.

Here are a few references:
Gloria Lemay is one of the premier midwives in North America today. Here is what she has to say:
Question for Gloria about Umbilical Cord Veins

<<"My friend is 6 months pregnant, her baby was diagnosed with "missing one of the three veins or tubes" of the umbilical cord. I would like to know if there are any problems for the baby? what can the woman do right now? It's said that the baby might suffer from heart disease or liver disease, is it true?">>

"First of all, never trust an ultrasound. It is very difficult to determine a single artery umbilical cord outside the womb, after 40 weeks of gestation, in a good light and with it right up close to your face; so, we know it must be hard to see it on a fuzzy TV screen from an audio transmission from the core of a woman's body in the sixth month of pregnancy.

"Secondly, I'd like to share my experience with a 2 vessel cord. There should be 3 vessels in the umbilical cord- 2 arteries and a vein. What it says about single artery cords in most midwifery texts is "If there are only 2 umbilical cord vessels, notify the pediatrician right away and have the baby checked." Most books do not tell you what to worry about. I've only seen one case of single artery in 25 years of attending births but I knew what to do when I found it- call the pediatrician. When I did, the friendly pediatrician said "I don't know what that means... could you go to the Library at the hospital and look it up and tell me?"

"Well, so much for that source of illumination! What the books at the medical library said (who knew there would be one about an inch and a half thick entitled "The Human Placenta"? what could there possibly be to say about a placenta that could take up that many pages?) was that the concern with single umbilical artery is that there could be a kidney problem.

"I then decided to take my query to the Pathologist at the hospital and see what he had to say about it. (I'm not associated with the hospital but I do find some departments very helpful and not weird at all about home birth attendants). The Pathologists are the loneliest people in the hospital. They work alone and no one wants to visit them in case there is a body laid out on their cold marble slab. The pathologist's first question to me was "How much did the baby weigh?" When I told him 8 lbs, he sent me home to get the placenta because he wanted to check it himself. He said it was unlikely that I was right that there was only one artery since a baby would be much smaller (4# range) if it had a single artery.

"When he cut the cord and looked closely, he said "Yes, it does seem to be only one artery but I think that what has happened is that the two arteries simply grew together". That boy is now 14 years old and has never had any kidney problems or other health concerns.

"I believe that it is sheer foolishness to worry your friend this way so early in her pregnancy. If the fundal height of her uterus is normal, she should relax and enjoy her pregnancy knowing that there are far more errors on ultrasound than truly useful information that can make a difference in the health of a baby."

What I have been taught is that the size of the baby is a better indicator of problems. In other words, if the baby is measuring small for dates clinically, that might alert you to look on u/s for kidney or heart problems. With normal growth, even finding out that you've got a 2 vessel cord is not going to change care and doing u/s has the potential for harming the baby's cells without sufficient benefit.

The one SUA(single umbilical artery) that I have seen did not even warrant a checkup at a ped. He was 8 lbs so the ped said to ignore the SUA. He's a big, healthy 16 y.o. now.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5773

Here is a reference from the March of Dimes:
About 1 percent of singleton and about 5 percent of multiple pregnancies have an umbilical cord that contains only two blood vessels, instead of the normal three, as one artery is missing. The cause of this abnormality is unknown. If an ultrasound examination shows that the baby appears to have no other abnormalities, the baby is likely to be born healthy.

However, studies suggest that about 25 percent of babies with single umbilical artery have birth defects, including chromosomal and/or other abnormalities. A woman whose baby is diagnosed with single umbilical artery during an ultrasound examination may be offered prenatal testing using ultrasound evaluation of the fetal heart and amniocentesis to diagnose or rule out chromosomal abnormalities. Even if the baby does not appear to have birth defects, the pregnant woman will probably be monitored carefully for the remainder of the pregnancy because of a somewhat increased risk of poor fetal growth, preterm delivery and stillbirth.
http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/681_4546.asp

M.,
I found info on this web site:

http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/681_4546.asp

What is single umbilical artery?
About 1 percent of singleton and about 5 percent of multiple pregnancies have an umbilical cord that contains only two blood vessels, instead of the normal three, as one artery is missing. The cause of this abnormality is unknown. If an ultrasound examination shows that the baby appears to have no other abnormalities, the baby is likely to be born healthy.

However, studies suggest that about 25 percent of babies with single umbilical artery have birth defects, including chromosomal and/or other abnormalities. A woman whose baby is diagnosed with single umbilical artery during an ultrasound examination may be offered prenatal testing using ultrasound evaluation of the fetal heart and amniocentesis to diagnose or rule out chromosomal abnormalities. Even if the baby does not appear to have birth defects, the pregnant woman will probably be monitored carefully for the remainder of the pregnancy because of a somewhat increased risk of poor fetal growth, preterm delivery and stillbirth.

Hope all goes well ------------ C.