2 Vessel Cord?

hello C.

when my son was born he only had two as well he is now 19 and doing great so i would not worry two much about it.

M.

This happened to my sister in law, her son only had the 2 vessels in the cord too. Her son was born perfectly normal. Today he is a smart and thriving 3 year-old.

I just saw your update on your question and I had to respond. I had a 2 vessel cord with my first pregnancy. I freaked at first, but my doctor told me that they would see any problems immediately. I have a healthy 10 year old girl. I pray your baby is born healthy and happy. Best wishes and God Bless.

I've got a different story. My pregnancy was high risk anyway so I had a lot of ultrasounds. At the first one when they were checking for down syndrome, because I refused amnio, they said that I only had 2 vessels in the cord. The doc said it shouldn't cause any problems and it was never mentioned again or checked on the rest of the ultrasounds (one a week for the last 2 months of the pregnancy). I remembered it after Nicole was born because it was an emergency c-section because of distress and a dropping heart rate. They checked the cord and it had 3 vessels. So the original test was wrong. Just like the original blood test for down syndrome and spina bifida was wrong. Sometimes I think they test us too much when we are pregnant and worry us for no reason.

I know you've gotten a ton of responses so far, but just wanted to give you one more good one. My 2nd son only had 2 vessels, which freaked me out. After reading everything on the internet (bad idea), I talked to the dr. He said 3 vessels is nature's way of making sure there is a back-up just in case this kind of thing does happen.

They did monthly ultrasounds to check his growth and did an ultrasound of his kidneys after he was born. He was almost 8 lbs at birth and his kidneys were fine. All is good, and he is a healthy, thriving 2 year old boy. Do the extra checks they let you know about since there are some complications associated with it, but it really most often turns out fine. Congratulations on baby number 3!

I just thought I would chime. My daughter had this same thing they tracked my my whole pregnancy and when she was born the doctor look at the cord and there were 3 vessels. The third was was just small. She was fine. She was born 8 pounds and 18 inches long. She is 6 years old and is at the top of her class, now. So try not to worry to much.

Hi-C.!Forgive-the-use-of-the-"dash".My-son-who-was-1,took-the-space-bar-off-my-computer.Yes,I-did-have-a-two-vessel-cord-when-Preg-w/my-first-daughter.I-didn't-expect-to-become-pregnant,but-God-blessed-me-with-my-daughter.-I-hadn't-been-prepared-for-pregnancy,let-alone-hearing-about-a-single-vessel-cord.-My-husband-made-me-promise-that-I-would-not-research-the-internet.-I-didn't.My-doctor-did-have-me-go-through-tests(fetal-echo,genetic-couseling-and-more-sonograms).However-she-was-always-perfectly-fine!I-want-to-ease-your-worries,and-tell-you-everyything-will-be-okay.-My-doc-did-say-the-baby-could-be-smaller-in-size...but-thru-sonograms,she-was-fine.-She-weighed-a-healthy-7lbs7oz.-I-wish-you-lots-of-health-and-I-hope-more-women-can-also-help-you-to-relax.God-Bless.

You should check out CityMommy in North New Jersey. Its specifically for your area and lots of moms on there will respond with very helpful advice! Its invitation only to join so use the registration code "njmommy" to join. Go to northjersey.citymommy.com

Take care and good luck!

Hi C.,

This is the first I have ever heard of "2 vessel cord" and I wanted to add a couple of words of encouragmen to all the good ones you've already received.

I'm pregnant with my third child also and only at 12 weeks. I don't expect to have complications, but I am now 35 so the fact that I am now in a different "risk" category weighs on me, but I just have to stay positive and as healthy as possible. Also, I keep in mind that ultimately God will make that call.

I completely understand your worries, though. With my last pregnancy I tested positive for the test they give at about 35 or so weeks for HepB??? I cannot even remember what it was anymore, although I thought about it every single day since I found out my test results, all through my labor and delivery and up until my baby passed the 6 month old mark. I had researched it and scared myself to death!

We can't help but worry knowing that there is even the slightest possibility for our babies to not be healthy- after all that is what all parents want a healthy baby, but from reading all 35 previous posts, I have to point out that of women who had personal experience and all those who know someone else who experienced this it seems that of roughly 40 to 45 only 3 seemed to have any problems and of the 2 with serious problems, after the worry and heartache of treatment, they both still have a healthy child. Also, the best thing I saw was the testimony of the delivery nurse who has seen many of these cases personally and has never seen anything other than smaller birthweight.

Again chin-up. Stay healthy and positive for your baby. Best of luck to you.

I don't know a ton about it but my 10 year old goddaughter had this in the womb. She was FINE when born, all was fine. Try not to worry. It's one of those things they shouldn't even tell you, because what are you supposed to do but worry?

Hi C.
My niece had 2 vessel cord and her little boy is just fine. She had a normal pregnancy and her little boy never had any problems. She was scard, too, when they found out but her Dr didn't seem overly concerned either. They did go to a genetic counselor but he said it was all okay too. I guess you could check in to other Dr's or get a second opinion. This was my niece's third baby as well. I think now a days we have to much information and it's very scary. Good luck and I hope all goes well and wonderful for you. xoxo D.

My second child also had a Single Umbilical Artery. Normally there are 2 arteries taking away the 'old' blood but he like your baby only had one. My doctor watched me closely by having frequent Ultrasounds partially because I was 38 yrs old not because of the cord. She said he could be small and at risk for not growing as fast. Sure enough he was a little small - 5lbs 3 oz at birth. He stopped growing around 36 weeks so they decided to deliver him early. He was perfectly fine and is a very health 3 1/2 year old.

I wouldn't worry too much.

I know you have gotten a lot of responses, but I just wanted to tell you that I am 32 weeks along with my second and they found that he has a two vessel cord when I was 18 weeks along! He has been growing just fine! The doctor just told me that they have to do a growth scan later on in the pregnancy to make sure he isn't premature. The doctor also said that a two vessel cord is very common!

C.,
I just saw your post. My husband and I went through the worry of this when our son was born last January. Like you, the Dr. did not seem overly concerned, but I got on the internet and freaked myself out! You will undergo many ultrasounds, and an echocardiogram of the baby when it is farther along. They will monitor the size of the baby carefully to make sure the baby is getting all the nutrients it needs. I had an ultrasound every week for the last 3 months of the pregnancy. My friends thought this
was so lucky of me cause they didn't get anymore after their initial one. (It is reassuring to see the baby all those times) Of all the issues that I worried about the only one that came true was that he was born 2 weeks early... and smaller than he was originally on track to be, weighing in at 6 lbs. 11 oz. Perfect and healthy. Did you have a nuchal translucency test? This would also give you comfort to the health of your baby if you did.
Don't get worked up over anything you read on the internet. Single Artery Umbilical (SAU) also known as 2 vessel cord is more common than you think. Your child will be fine and healthy. I was worried every day after I found this out and the pregnancy was very stressful. You should be sent to a fetal specialist for follow up ultrasounds. If this is not the case, talk to your Dr. because you should be doing that.

I too had a two-vessel cord with my third child. However, they sent me off to a parinatoligist for a better view. At that point, they were able to let us know that things were going well and while they still had to monitor for growth towards the end, there were few worries. I strongly recommend going to a parinatologist! My son is now a very healthy one year old! My sister-in-law also had this and her son did have some kidney trouble - reflux of the kidney. He was on antibiotics for 3 years and then was able to go off. He is nearly 5 and very healthy! Good luck and try not to stress out.

Hi. I just saw this and I see you've had lots of encouraging responses. Here's another! My first child (almost 5 and a half) had a two vessel cord that was picked up at the 18 week ultrasound or even sooner. To keep an eye on his growth, I had routine ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy (I hate the full bladder routine!). One bright spot is that I have an entire album of his ultrasound pictures documenting his growth. I was able to share them with the grandparents and they make a wonderful keepsake. I only have two ultrasound pictures of my second child, by comparison. I had early labor at 32 weeks and was hospitalized to stop the contractions. While on the fetal monitor the baby's heart rate dropped and he was in distress so they did an emergency C-section. They were concerned that the cord was blocked and that is even more dangerous with just one supply line instead of two (usually 2 supply lines and one waste line, whereas 2 vessel cords have one of each). After the delivery, though, my doctor said the cord had been fine and not the source of the problem at all. They never really knew what went wrong, but the 2 vessel cord was not the issue. He's fine and healthy and was a wonderful baby! Best of luck to you.

Hi C.!! Congrats on baby #3!!! I am a RN on the maternity floor and we have that quite frequently.... There is usually no problem with the babies.. talk to your doctor for more advice, but from my experience, there has never been any issues with the babies I've seen.. good luck!!! hope that helps!!!

I had the exact same thing with my beautiful 1st son who's now 7.5 yo and perfectly normal. After the cord problem was discovered during the pregnancy I had my AFP test which was abnormal, then an amnio. I was waiting for results over Christmas and crying daily because I was so worried. That was normal which was a huge relief, but then they told me they were worried he would be small, I guess because of the missing cord. He turned out to be almost 9 pounds. I am an MD (not an Ob) and one important thing to realize is that in years past women were not having these ultrasounds, and they have gotten more and more detailed, so that there are probably many normal people walking around who had 2 vessel cords whose moms never knew about it. Because it is a relatively newly identified "abnormality" the Drs. monitor for problems, but hang in there because odds are it will not affect your baby. - L. G.

My youngest had the same problem. they found it at my 18 week ultrasound but didnt tell me until i was was almost due. I was panicked after they told me all the problems that a two vesseled child could have and thought i was going to have a handicapped child. But, my daughter will be 3 years old tomorrow and she is healthy, happy and one of the most normal children ( aside from the fact she kisses everything in sight! LOL) i really wouldnt worry about it one little bit. Oh, and the only real problem there was when she was born was the fact that her cord was extremely short and i couldnt cut it myself. ( my husband had died 2 months before she was born, otherwise he would have cut it) and they couldnt put her very far up onto my belly like they had with my other two children. Good luck.

I am glad to see that there is so many cases of postive outcomes, but I thought I would share my story of some of the problems that a double cord can be a sign of. I also was diagnosed with a possible double cord at my 20 week ultrasound, however the doctor couldn't really tell with her 2-d black and white machine. She sent me to a perinatoligst with a color ultrasound machine where they could track the blood flow. It turned out my daughter had a congenital heart defect, which is one of the problems that coralates with a 2 vessel cord. Then the process of many doctors, both in Savannah & Atlanta, lots of stress & tears, 2 major open heart surgeries by 6 months and 17 months later I have a beautiful, healthly little girl, who's heart is completely healthly.

I don't want to freak you out and since the doctor said everything else looks normal, I am sure everything is just fine. Most likely if there was any heart issues they would have picked it up then.

Good luck with your pregnancy.

Try not to worry too much. My son is now 18 months and healthy and happy! Because I was pregnant with him at age 37, they did routine ultrasounds. Early on they found that he had a mass of cysts where one of his kidneys should have been. The perinatologist asked me had I considered termination. He cautioned that my son could have mental retardation, a hardened/non-functioning liver, that his lungs might not develop, that he could die within days after birth if he was able to be born at all ... long story short, he was wrong! Medicine is not an exact science! God was with me and my son, and I know He will be with you, too. I met a nurse at my hospital where I work who told me she had a 2 vessel cord and they thought her child would have only 1 kidney (don't think those 2 things were related) but the baby turned out to have 2 perfectly functioning kidneys. Hang in there. Take care of yourself and the baby.

My second (now 6) had a 2 vessel cord and he turned out fine. A friend of mine also went through this with one of her babies and hers is also fine. Good Luck!

The same thing happened to me with my first child unfortunately she came before I had my appointment to get it checked out. I say that because its a positive thing I had my daughter at 26 weeks and she is a healthly normal three year old with no complicationsat all. So please don't worry and try to stay stress free. I know thats easier said then done though. Think positive about the situation if it was really a problem with the pregnancy the doctors would have did something for you as well as my child as soon as they seen it. Keep the faith

Hi there. Please don't worry too much about this. My second baby had this - also diagnosed at 20 weeks on ultrasound. I had never heard of it so I went off and researched loads on the internet and got really scared that there would be an abnormality with the baby, as I read somewhere that there was a higher incidence of this with a 2 vessel cord. But I had a detailed ultrasound scan and they saw nothing else unusual on the scan, and it sounds like you have had the same.
I had a lot of growth scans to make sure she was still growing and to check the blood flow to the placenta, and she kept growing though always at the bottom of the growth chart.
My baby was on the small side at birth - 5 lb 9 oz at full term where my previous baby was over 2 lb heavier than that. But she is still very petite at nearly 4 years old so I don't know if she was just genetically little. She is completely normal and healthy in every way and achieved all her milestones ahead of schedule so it has not held her back at all.
There's also no reason why this should mean you need a c-section unless there is a separate reason for one. I had a totally straightforward normal delivery at 40 weeks.
I hope this is some reassurance to you as it has caused my little girl no problems.

Sometimes a 2 vessel cord could indicate some renal (kidney) trouble, but not a guarantee. If the doctor was not overly concerned, that means he is just going to watch the baby and may even give you a few extra U/S's. Relax, your doctor will monitor you. Let the hospital know when you go into labor just to make sure communication is well intact.
Good Luck!!
S.

My third child was born with a two vessel cord....we didn't know about it til delivery. He was completely fine...overdue by 5 days and weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. My pediatrician said that sometimes kidney problems are related to a two vessel cord, but we followed up with ultrasounds at birth, 6 mos. and 1 year and he never had any issues. The pediatric uroligist actually rolled his eyes when I told him why we were referred to him and only ordered the ultrasounds to reassure me! :)

Hi C.!
My second child (I have three- 2 girls and a boy) also had a 2 vessel cord-it also freaked me out but he is 4 now and absolutely fine! A lot of times one of the vessels will just compensate for the one that is missing and all will develop normally. You will most likely have to have more sonograms to ensure all is well. My Dr. said that a common problem with babies that have SUA is some organs may not be completely developed when the baby is born- for whatever reason the bladder being one of them. He had an ultrasound done on my son when he was born and he did have a minor issue. I'm bad at remember the proper terminology but basically when the urine leaves the kidneys and goes to the bladder there is a flap that keeps the urine from going back up to the kidneys when the bladder is full. My son's flap was not strong enough and the urine would go back up to the kidneys. Not a huge problem- as he got older the problem corrected itself and now he is fine. Just make sure you talk to your doctor and make sure you have the necessary screenings and don't read the internet! I think this is relatively common. Another issue is the baby can be small when its born- My son was 9.3 oz.! So don't worry-Enjoy your girls, and the pregnancy.

Hi C.-

I did not know anyone else who had experienced this either. I had the same situation with my second pregnancy. The doctor told me matter-of-factly and was not too concerned. The only thing she did tell me was that the baby would probably be smaller than if she had the 3-vessel cord. My healthy baby girl born at 7lbs. 3oz. full-term is now a wonderful healthy 9-year old girl! Best of luck to you.

Hi,
I've heard of this before. A friend of mine had it. She was told it's nothing to worry about, and she ended up giving birth to a perfectly healthy full term baby boy.
So, don't stress yourself over it.

I had the same thing happen with my second pregnancy. I had 2 sonagrams to double check and was told that the baby did indead only have 2 vessels. The doctor told me not to worry. (I didn't listen to him of course but should have known better.) He told me that normally there isn't any problems developed from it, but they would just monitor him closely the rest of the pregnancy. I had several other problems, so I was monitored a lot. Anyway...I had my baby in May of last year. They check the umbilical cord after he was delivered and come to find out he actually had 3 vessels not two like 2 sonagrams showed. I hope your baby comes out just as normal as mine did.

Most two vessel cords births are completely normal. You should go and get a lever 2 ultrasound just to make sure everything is normal with the baby.

I was diagnosed with a 2 vessel cord with my daughter, now 16 months. She did have a heart defect that was corrected at 12 weeks. I am not writing this to scare you, just to let you know that occasionally, there can be complication with a 2 vessel cords, so you should get all the necessary testing to make sure. We were certainly glad to know about her birth defect before she was born, so that we were able to have her health actively followed from birth.

Good luck, I am sure everything will be fine.

My sister's youngest son had this and the doctors weren't too concerned. She went in for ultrasounds every couple weeks, but he was totally normal...in fact he was huge weighing 9.66 at birth. He is still completely healthy at the age of 3. Good luck.

DON'T WORRY!!! I had the same thing with my daughter. I panicked the whole time for nothing. She was born perfect and 3 yrs later she still is. They did a renal sonogram when she was born and everything turned out fine!!!!!

If the doc doesn't seem concerned, I wouldn't worry. They discovered my son't 2 vessel cord at my LAST ultrasound before delivery. They seemed a little worried that they hadn't caught it in the first 2 ultrasounds, but after asking questions about his growth prior to discovery, everything was determined to be fine. The most common complication is that the baby will grow slowly and be undersized at birth. My son was 10 lbs. 5 ozs. and 2 weeks early! He was big the whole pregnancy, so they quickly ruled out any problems. Just take cues from your doctor, they will let you know if there is a real problem. Good luck!

My daughter who is now almost a Year old was diagnosed with the same thing. I fretted over it for the rest of my pregnancy. I can tell you from experience that my daughter was born completely healthy. Just make sure that you go to all of your appts and do everything the doctor says. I know it is hard because you are worried but everything should be okay. Besides it only something for while you are pregnant. Once your child is born it will no longer apply. Be positive and concentrate on that little life inside you. Good luck and keep in touch.

C. and Baby Sabrina

Hi C.,
I have an 11 yr old daughter born with a 2 vessel cord (it was just mentioned in passing during her delivery). I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery and she was born of normal size and very healthy.

She did have some kidney reflux issues at birth, which they caught on ultrasound before she was born, she was on antibiotics (as a precautionary measure) from birth for several years, but she never did have any kidney related problems. We had many follow up tests and then she grew out of it.

She is now healthy, smart, and doing great (other than the normal pre-teen issues, ha!)
My best wishes for your sweet little baby.

PS: Additional info that I found on the internet. An article from a Dear Dr. Donohue column from Oct 10, 2008:

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 25-year-old daughter is expecting my first grandchild, a girl, and she recently learned she has a two vessel umbilical cord. Her doctor did not explain this in any detail, only mentioning lower birth weight. However, after researching it on the Internet, we are afraid the baby will have serious problems. My daughter is in her fifth month of pregnancy. -- J.B.

ANSWER: Normally the umbilical cord has three vessels: two arteries and one vein. A single artery -- therefore, a two vessel umbilical cord -- is found in five to 10 newborns out of 1,000. In 20 percent to 30 percent of those children, a congenital abnormality is found, and kidney problems are the most common of those abnormalities. Looking at this in another way, 70 percent to 80 percent of these babies are fine.

Hopefully that is news that will reassure you somewhat.

Take Care! ~L.

I don't have experience with this - but absolutely promise that '''discovered''' may not be as accurate as the doctors' think. Doctors are brilliant, hard working and experienced - but they are not always correct in interpreting the images of ultrasounds --- THAT is for sure. Inquire about the babies' rate of growth- and other indications of pre-natal development. THAT is more likely to be an accurate ''' picture''' of how your treasure is doing.

Blessings,
Old Mom
aka-- J.

My husband's cousin had only 2 vessels when she was pregnant. Their daughter was born without an anus. Their 1 year old daughter is fine now and had an anus and everything attached but it was a very difficult first year and many operations. Please see if there is a chance of this happening to your baby. I am sorry to freak you out but it is better to find out as early as possible of what you should expect when the child is born. Please ask your doctor if they can see this on the sonogram. I hope you have a healthy baby.

I just came across your request and had to respond, even though I know it's way late.

My daughter had a 2-vessel cord, also diagnosed around 20 weeks. I was totally freaked out and also upset because I'd been planning to have a low-intervention pregnancy and to deliver at a birth center rather than a hospital. So much for planning (although my midwives had hospital privleges and were AWESOME).

Long story short, my daughter was born 8 days late, completely healthy, and almost 9 lbs. We had a lot of extra monitoring (2x weekly non-stress tests after 32 weeks, 3 perinatologist visits with ultrasounds), one evening in the hospital due to a sub-par non-stress test, and I had to have continuous monitoring all through my labor until I started to push. We used wireless telemetry, which allowed me to get up and move all over the maternity ward at the hospital. All that monitoring was frustrating at the time, but wasn't really too invasive. Honestly, at the end, I liked the NSTs because I got to listen to her heart beat for 20-30 minutes twice a week, which was reassuring.

I strongly recommend that you don't try to research 2-vessel cords on-line. Although there can be complications, some serious (we have friends whos daughter had to have heart surgery at 1 - she's totally fine now), the great majority of babies and mamas are totally fine. Trust your providers. For me, the balance of the down-to-earth midwives with the totally medicalized perinatologist was actually pretty good - I knew all my bases were covered.

Good luck!

ps - If they do schedule you for lots of NSTs, drink juice (I drank coffee!) beforehand to wake that baby up. Mine liked to snooze during the tests - which made the midwives much more likely to schedule follow-ups later that day, or to send me to hospital. The techs would also "cow-bell" my belly (exactly what it sounds like - ring the cow-bell at the belly to wake the baby up) - that worked sometimes, but coffee before was usually more effective!

My friend had that too. She was high risk to begin with as well. He just said that usually the only side effects if any are having a slightly smaller baby. (Her little girl was 6 lbs 1oz) taken by c-section 10 days early and they have a very slightly increased risk of sleep apnea. Good luck!

Hi C., I am 37 weeks along with my first child, a boy!! I also found out at my 20 week sono that my baby has a 2 vessel cord. I have been having appointments every 4 weeks at a perinatalogist. I was told that the 2 vessel cord could him to not grow as normal as with a 3 vessel and that there was an increased chance of going into labor early. My son is perfectly healthy so far and is growing just like any other "normal" pregnancy. I have not had any other complications nor have I had any premature labor. They will probably have you start going to have Non Stress Tests around 34 weeks. I have 2 every week. All that does is check the baby's heart rate and his response when he moves and it checks for contractions. I was worried at first as I had no idea what it meant to have a 2 vessel cord. Most of the time, there are no other problems and the baby grows just fine. Just try to stay calm, focus on the baby and know God is with your precious little one always!!! I wish you all the best and if you ever need to talk, let me know!