What is the umbilical cord?
The umbilical cord is a tube that connects you to your baby during pregnancy. It has three blood vessels: one vein that carries food and oxygen from the placenta to your baby and two arteries that carry waste from your baby back to the placenta. A substance called Wharton’s jelly cushions and protects these blood vessels. The umbilical cord starts to form at about 4 weeks of pregnancy and usually grows to be about 22 inches long.
Umbilical cord conditions include the cord being too long or too short, not connecting well to the placenta or getting knotted or squeezed. These conditions can cause problems during pregnancy, labor and birth.
If you have one of these conditions, your health care provider may find it during pregnancy on an ultrasound. An ultrasound is a prenatal test that uses sound waves and a computer screen to show a picture of your baby inside the womb.
