The umbilical cord connects you and your baby while you’re pregnant. This tube starts to form at around 4 weeks of pregnancy. It extends from your baby’s belly button (navel) to a temporary organ that forms in your uterus during pregnancy (placenta).

The umbilical cord contains three blood vessels. It has a vein that carries nutrients and oxygen from your placenta to your baby. It also has two arteries that transport waste from your baby to your placenta, which filters your baby’s blood.

Your umbilical cord usually works without any issues. But sometimes umbilical cord complications may cause problems with your or your baby’s health. The most common types of umbilical cord conditions include:

• Single umbilical artery: When there’s one missing artery in your umbilical cord.
• Umbilical prolapse: When your umbilical cord comes out of your vagina ahead of your baby.
• Vasa previa: When blood vessels from your umbilical cord or placenta attach near the opening to your uterus (cervix).

Umbilical cord complications don’t always lead to any issues. You may continue to have a normal pregnancy and birth. But in some cases, umbilical cord abnormalities do cause problems during your pregnancy, labor and birth.

Common Risks 

Umbilical cord complications can increase your risk for: 

• Congenital abnormalities, such as brain damage or an improperly formed esophagus (esophageal atresia)
• Decreased heart rate in your baby during contractions  
• Digestion, heart or kidney problems in your child 
• Having a smaller baby 
• High blood pressure later in pregnancy 
• Longer labor 
• Miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death soon after birth 

Often the cause of umbilical cord complications is unknown. But certain factors may cause problems with the umbilical cord, including:

Certain things, called risk factors, can increase your risk for complications. These risk factors include:

Your provider may diagnose umbilical cord complications either during pregnancy or during your baby’s birth.

We may detect some umbilical cord conditions through an ultrasound or pelvic exam as part of routine prenatal testing and screening. If we find a complication, we may recommend further testing, such as amniocentesis, a detailed ultrasound, an echocardiogram or genetic testing, to look for congenital abnormalities.

Your provider may diagnose other umbilical cord complications during labor. Your baby’s heart rate may drop if you have a nuchal cord, an umbilical cord knot or vasa previa.

At UC Davis Health, we offer complete prenatal screening and diagnostic testing. Getting an early diagnosis can help you determine the best care for your child. During your labor and delivery, the UC Davis Medical Center provides the highest standard of care for any health concerns that come up.

Care for umbilical cord complications involves putting a plan in place to reduce risks as much as possible. If you’re diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, our experts will carefully monitor your and your baby’s health.

In many cases, we’ll recommend a cesarean section for delivery to help avoid stress on you and your baby. We may also suggest scheduling an earlier delivery date to reduce the risk of complications.

Our programs and services for umbilical cord complications at UC Davis Health include:

You can’t prevent umbilical cord conditions from occurring. But you can lessen your risk of serious complications by having regular prenatal check-ups. The sooner you have an umbilical cord issue diagnosed, the sooner you and your provider can take steps toward a healthy birth.