SUA - Single Umbilical Cord Artery

Hi C.
I had the same problem with my second child. I too was very scared but if it makes it any easier on you My Child is Just fine he is now 8 years old. I was 23 years old when it happen to me but My doctors were very helpful. But I did do the testing that they wanted me to do but that was because mY hubby wanted me to have it done.

i had the same problem but i did not find out about it until after i delivered my son. He had a low birth wieght of 5 lbs 5 oz (my doctor said that is normal) we had no complications or problems since. he is now a healthy active 5 yr old

C.,

Please e-mail me ____@____.com and I will share with you recent discussions on this topic from my doula group.

T.

The internet is wonderful but too much information can be scary too, I don't know of this condition but I do know that babies are very resilient and that God has created this wonderful baby of yours and if there is a problem, HE can heal it, my friend is due in May and had a placental tear in the first trimester and we just prayed and asked God to heal her and protect baby, and you know what her bleeding stopped and she has had an awesome pregnancy since and the Dr's can't medically explain this miracle - so don't lose hope or get discouraged!

I went to a perineonatologist in Kennedy hospital in washington township. they told me after quad four screening my baby could have downs syndrome. if you do not like your doctor switch now. i am suprised they did not send you to a specialist. my baby is eight months old now and is very healthy. he does not have downs syndrome. good luck and congratulations.

My dd was misdiagnosed with this. I did the research too and started freaking out. It doesn't help that they can't do anything or monitor it closer until later in the pregnancy. My Dr. was actually reassuring and said that she has delivered more then 95% healthy babies that are diagnosed with this condition. It's more rare to have a baby with complications then not. When they did the next sonogram they found out that the first sonogram was wrong and she had a normal cord. They have to give you all the information to prepare you, don't think about the "could happen".

One of my good friends had this same problem when she was pregnant. And everything went fine. The baby girl was born perfectly healthy weighing 5lbs 15oz. and was 20 inches long. So please don't believe everything you read. But listen to your body. I remember her going through a lot of stress tests especially at the end. And her pregnancy was normal.

Oh my goodness C., I had the same experience exactly with our second child. The dr was a jerk, gave us no info, and then I went home and read alot of horrible stuff on the internet. I contacted our pediatrician and asked him what he knew about SUA. I called him because he is a dr that I know I can talk to. Also he, of course, sees babies that have had SUA. He then got me an appt with a perinatalogist. The perinatalogist spent alot of time with us and did a very thorough ultrasound. She told us that if an SUA baby checks out fine on u/s then the baby is at no greater risk for any defects than a baby without SUA. In that case the only risks are that the baby might be small and arrive early or there could be an internal cord accident if there isn't enough water to cushion the cord (because an SUA cord is thinner). Because of this I started going to the OB (a new one, I dropped the jerk :) ) every week starting at 33 weeks. Every week I had a non stress test and a fluid check. The non stress test just involves getting hooked up to a baby monitor (it is a thing strapped to your belly) and seeing that the baby's heart rate jumps when he/she moves. During the test you want the baby to move, so you want the baby to be awake. To make this happen I would always eat a granola bar as the nurse was hooking me up. That always got her to move and she would pass the test very quickly. The fluid check is just a quick u/s to check to make sure there is enough fluid. You will want to make sure that you stay well hydrated so that there is enough fluid.

Our baby was born perfectly healthy. She had no problems at all with labor and has been healthy and very active. She is now 9 months old and is close to 30in long and is already walking. At birth she was 22in long and over 9lbs. She was also 2 weeks late. So, she beat the odds in every way.

Please try and relax and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy. DO NOT read anything on the internet...it will make you worried. Find a dr who will take the time to talk to you and who you can trust. It is totally ok to switch OBs during your pregnancy, I did it during both of mine (the first time was because we moved).

Good luck!!!

Beth

Carol, I am 33 years old and 32 weeks pregnant, due May 9th, w/ my third girl and my baby has a Velementous cord. It is not fully attched to the placenta and it unravels into three seperate pieces. The Dr's were not so kind to start off w/ me, and I did what you did and went home and read all these weird things on the Interent. My baby right now, is growing great and is healthy. We have had some bumpy news along the way, but right now as of this day everything looks good. I did change my diet huge I only ate things that would be healthy for the baby and I limited my activites as not to strain her too much. Everything will be fine, listen to what the Dr's say but realize they will give you worst case senerio first, but that doesn't mean it's def. going to happen to you.

A friend of mine had something like that too. There are 3 veins/arteries in the cord, she only had 2 of the 3. That child is almost 5, normal as can be and very smart. Pray every day.

I have a baby who was born with SUA. I sobbed badly for not having identified it in the ultrasonography and so did my Gynac. I was being informed to have his entire body scanned to check if there were any blockages or malformations in Kidneys or heart, CNS and brain and thankfully nothing came out. So, we showed the repots to arount 3 diffrenet doctors who mentioned that now there is nothing to worry about if nothing came out in teh reports. Now my child is 1 yr old and there has been no problems since then. However, i found my baby to be mildly aneamic since the 6th month. I dont know if this should be associated with SUA. Well, i dont think so. MY baby has been on Iron supplement since then and has shown very less progress. But rest all is fine.
I just have a question if something might come up in future. I have no idea. However, as per the doctors if reports were fine after the birth then there should be nothing to worry about. Lets see.
I suggest even you could have the entire body scan done and then check the repots with mutiple doctorcs to check their opinion..

I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through this. I'm not familiar with SUA, but I also had a high risk pregnancy that involved a lot of bloodwork, ultrasounds (twice weekly) and four appointments a week. It's exhausting, emotionally and physically. I know it sounds trite, but you have to take things one day at a time. And today, your baby is healthy and growing. Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. And always remember that no matter what happens, you'll deal with it.

Hi C.,
I cannot offer information but I wanted to offer support to you. Be strong and pray for your child who is already a miracle. The internet will scare you with a ton of negative information and 9 times out of 10 the information will not apply to your child. Listen to your dr.'s and if they are not making you comfortable, don't hesitate to find someone who will listen to you and offer you support and sensitivity. It sounds like this is a common occurrence being it is 1 out of 100 women, (i don't know the statisitcs but i know that there are babies born on the minute) lots of babies. Take care of yourself and keep loving your baby.
L.

I friend of mine just had a very healthy little girl that is now 9 mos old and she had the same complication! She didn't have any other problems and delivered naturally a very healthy baby girl. I would take it with a grain of salt most drs tend to be alarmists. There can very well be a birth defect but still 1 in 5 is still a big ratio
V.

I C., and congrats on your first baby...First besides the one artery, did they do all the measurement, and look at the chambers of the heart? I'm a four year vetern NICU nurse now doing anesthesia..and I've seen perfectly healthy babies born with only one artery, so unless other tests are coming back abnormal...rest easy, and u should talk w/ your OB. if not happy, find a different OB..someone who will talk w/you, and explain everything.
Good luck.

I was in your same boat about this time last year. I found out when I was 19 weeks along with baby #2 that he only had a single vessel cord and all the health problems that can be associated with this. My dr told me stay away from the internet(too late, I know. I did the same thing) because it will just scare me more and the main concern is heart and kidney issues. We had a level 2 ultrasound and a fetal ecco done and each turned out perfect. I don't do the genetic marker tests, mostly because it doesn't matter to me since it wouldn't changed my mind about having the baby and just cause to worry more about him and stress isn't good during pregnancy. My group, I see Doylestown Women's health center, acted like this was no big deal, they see this all the time and if there was another problem, it would have shown up already on the normal 20 week ultrasound but they need to cover all their bases. I went for monthly growth scans since babies with this tend to be smaller (I'll get to soon) and at 32 weeks, I went 2 times a week for fetal non stress tests when they put sensors on your belly and monitor the baby's heart beat for 20 minutes. They are looking for 2 good movements from the baby to make sure the baby's heart raises and then lowers again. If the baby is under any stress, the heart beat will stay elevated. Sounds scarier than what it is. Each time he passed. The nurses told me they rarely rarely rarely see any problems, they just need to cover all their bases. * I was told that a lot*. If they see a problem, they would do an ultrasound. My drs told me the biggest concern is during labor with an increased chance of c section if the baby lays on the cord so I would be monitored the entire time. The whole pregnancy I continued to pray to God that everything would be okay. My son was born 2 weeks early, naturally with no drugs (I was trying my hardest not to have a c-section) perfectly healthy, but small. He was 5 lbs 3 oz at birth but perfect. His dr kept reassuring me he was healthy and they couldn't find any problems with him. He'll be 6 mths next week and besides being a light weight, he's caught up in length. He is hitting every milestone on time. And he's healthy and happy and that the most importnant to me. The best advice I can give you is contact me if you have any questions and join this board at baby center. com.
http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1637&am...
There are loads of other moms out there with this. And everyone keeps everyone up to date on whats going on at their dr appointments. And if you're unhappy with your dr's reaction, call around and find a new one. They can't keep you there. Also, I read this website while pregnant and it gave me loads of insight.
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/SUA.html
Congratulations and enjoy your pregnancy! Don't dwell on what you read online!

C.,
I know it is easy for me to say but don't worry. My niece had a two vessel cord as did the daughter of a friend at work. Both girls are doing very well and are happy and healthy. The best thing that you can do for your little girl is to make sure you are taking care of yourself( plenty of rest, eating well, and plenty of H2O)and most of all try not to stress yourself out. The internet can be very helpful and very confusing and alarming all at the same time. Your doc will probably order a few more ultrasounds than you would normally get and if everything looks okay then that is about all that they will do. Good luck and enjoy this time. Being a mom is the best!!

the only thing i can suggest for reading info is to go to askdrsears.com . He has an amazing way of presenting the real facts in a non-scary way.
also, if your dr isn't friendly, i say go find a different one! your dr is going to add to or take away from your whole experience and it sounds like he's already taking away. THERE ARE GREAT DOCTORS OUT THERE! Change now! call around and ask questions. this is your experience and if your doctor isn't willing to guide you and make you feel god, the change it. I did it in my second pregnancy b/c i was so unhappy with my dr for my first born, I said to myself, not again. i will not settle for a doctor that is not all ther for me. when i realized i was unhappy with my dr for my second, i switched like 4 months into it and had a terriffic doctor for my son. he truly made such a difference.

GOOD LUCK with everything.

When I was born my mom was told that there was only one artery in the umbilical card and that I only had one kidney, an x-ray was done and revealed that I actually had two kidneys. My mom was told that I may have kidney issues and that I may become more at risk for infections later on in life. I am now 29 yrs old and I have been perfectly healthy aside from a few urinary tract infections which lots of people get. I don't think that people should research on the net because it is all so negative and scary. I just wanted to share with you that info.

First let me say CONGRATS on your pregnancy. My son who just turned 3 had a single umbilical artery and was born very healthy. I was a nervous wreck because my quad screen came back with a 1:42 chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome. After genetic counseling we had a Level II u/s which showed the SUA. I was told that this was a "soft sign" for Down Syndrome which freaked me out even more. I chose not to do the amnio and was just monitored more closely for the growth of the baby. I has monthly Level II u/s. There were no problems and he is an active, healthy boy. We did not have any complications and he does not have Down Syndrome. He does have a speech disorder with which he is getting therapy for and is doing very well. He is talking in sentences and is understood about 50-75% of the time. Lots of progress this past year. Hopefully he won't need it once he gets to school age. Hope that helps to alleviate some of your anxiety! Try to relax and enjoy your pregnancy. Best Wishes!!

Hi, C..

I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I have the same thing. It's a 2-vessel cord as opposed to a 3-vessel cord, which is the norm. That means there's only one artery and one vein. What my doc said is that it is absolutely possible to have a normal, healthy, full-term baby and that I should not stress about problems related to the two-vessel cord. Because of the cord though (and another high risk issue that I have), I have been monitored very closely throughout the pregnancy. They have sent me for a fetal echocardiogram, I have monthly ultrasounds and as of this week have started weekly fetal non-stress tests. It's all just to make sure that the baby's growth, breathing, heart rate, etc. is normal. And thankfully, everything with my little peanut is looking wonderful. So please try not to stress about this. I definitely don't think it's as severe as your doc made it sound. Good luck!
- J.

C.,
What a blessing to be having a child. My second pregnancy i was diagnosed with the same cord problem .Although very scary and at some of the ultrasounds they thought that she was not growing right I worried for nothing . I now have a beautiful intelligent 10 year old girl Olivia. Dont stress its worse for the baby , good luck!!

C.,

Hello :)
I had a two vessel cord with my daughter. They caught it here at the hospital I was going to deliver at while doing my regular sonogram. They promptly sent me within a week to a maternal fetal medicine specilist in Harrisburg. They were great and I went up regularly for sonograms to measure my daughter's growth. They told me you should normally have 3 vessels. My daughters cord was only 2. I noticed you said your baby only has 1 and the Dr. said you should normally have 2???? The specilist I went to even did scans of the umbilical cord and was able to show me the 2 vessels. Although there were a few spots in the cord that it did branch back out to 3 vessels. Wierd. BUT everything was fine with her. Has your Dr. reccomended sending you to a specialist??? My OB decided she would have me scheduled for an induced labor about a week before my orginal due date because when they baby gets close to term he/she can lay on the cord and cut off blood flw and nutrients. The doctor did weekly sonogram to check my daughter's weight, so that if she got to big they would induce earlier. They told me since I was to be induced that it would probably take longer to deliver but I was induced at noon...started having contractions around 5 or 5:30pm-ish and had my daughter at 9:47pm with only 20 mins. of pushing! My OB was impressed b/c they said inducing usually takes WAY longer. :) Try not to worry. That is the hardest part! Hope I was of some help...feel free to send me a message if you have any questions!

K.

Hi Carol-
I have a very healthy 2 1/2 year old girl, she had a SUA when I was pregnant with her. Everything turned out fine. I just had a lot of monitoring with my third trimester, Every week was an ultrasound, biophysical profiles and a fetal echo to track growth. She was born 6 pounds 8 oz and very healthy full term. Don't overworry by searching on the internet. It will all turn out normal. They are just very conservative and you are considered high risk at the third trimester. Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss further. (____@____.com)

My sister-in-law had this same issue and gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy who will be one next month. I think doctors are pretty steril when discussing issues b/c they deal with them more often then us so they loose their sensitivity but it's still frightening. She said that more people than she realized had it once she discussed it. Try to stay positive and my prayers are with you for a healthy baby.

C.- when I was pregnant with my son we discovered at our 20 week u/s that he had a SUA. Of course I read online about all the negative things that could go wrong. My doctor closely monitored me while I was pregnant -I had monthly ultrasounds to make sure he was still growing and we had a fetal echocardiogram to make sure there were no heart problems. Everything turned out perfect, and my son was born 2 days before his due date at an average size (7 lbs 1oz, 21") and is now off the charts. Also, a good friend of mine also had SUA with her son and had absolutely no problems either! It is common, but talk with your OB, and make sure they stay on time of it. Lots of prayers for you and your little one!

My sister-in-law had this with her first son. She was monitored more often, but my nephew is a happy, healthy, normal 5.5 year old now. I hope all the posts here help put you at ease that it is common and the outcome is usuallya positive one. It will help the baby if you stay positive and if you ever feel something isn't right, just call your doctor - a mother's intuition is amazaing! Don't sit and stress about it, get answers.

My beautiful 23 year old niece had one umbilical artery and is perfectly normal, very bright, and has no health issues whatsoever! The internet is such a great source of information, but sometimes it's just not necessary. Keep it in the back of your mind, but don't dwell on it and don't read everything you can find about it. Instead, read parenting books and reduce stress as much as you can! Good luck and take care, S.

Hi, I just gave birth to my son in August of 07. He had only one artery in his cord. They told me the most common problems with this were possible heart problems, possible underweight birth & possible early delivery. The heart problems they checked for with other US later in the pregnancy & every thing was fine. As for the weight...my son was 9lbs 3 oz at birth. They decided to induce me 3 days before my due date b/c he was so big & they were afraid he would only get bigger as we waited. The induction didn't work. He didn't want to leave! They wound up having to do a C-section.
So, I wound up having the opposite of all expected problems. He is now 7 months old...still bigger than most babies his age & totally healthy. He hasn't even had a cold yet. (Though now I've probably jinxed us. LOL!)
Try not to stress too much. Something my doctor told me...US have not been around for very long. It is likely that this condition is much more common than they currently believe. And most babies have NO ill effects from it.

I had a two vessel cord with my second child. He was born normal, healthy and with no problems. He is going to be one in a few weeks. My doctors were wonderful, they didn't stress me out about it and it is more common that you realize. They will just monitor you more closely with ultrasounds, etc. They see so much more these days with ultrasounds that it is sometimes scary! The worst thing you can do is get upset about it, that will not help the baby either! I'm sorry your doctor was so cold about it; just don't stress about it, stay healthy and stay off the internet - too much info!

My son is 25 months old and has no birth defects at all. He too had only one artery in his umbilical cord and I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy. Until you get an amnio that tells you so, don't read too much into it. You need to be positive and stay well for you and your baby. Hugs xoxox L.

My friend had the same diagnosis for her first pregnancy. She and her husband had a number of follow-up ultrasounds and met with specialists at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. They were even able to have a 4-D ultrasound of their baby and I think they were even able to take home a video of it! All of their ultrasounds showed nothing else abnormal and their daughter was born perfectly healthy. She's almost 4 now and she's completely fine.