A Redditor shared a rare sight that has since gone viral---it’s a picture of a knot in his baby’s umbilical cord that was revealed only after the baby had been delivered.
“The doctor said, ‘Hurry up dad, take a picture your baby is a miracle,’” the caption says, per Independent Journal on Saturday.
Some people commented that the birth was indeed a miracle. “Looks like a knot in the umbilical cord--if it is too tight, it can cut off blood/oxygen supply to the baby,” wrote one person.
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Asked another, “How does that happen? In utero somersaults??” Another joked, “What do we say to Death? Knot today.”
“Well that’s knot supposed to happen,” quipped another user.
A “true knot” occurs in about 1 percent of pregnancies, with most happening with twins.
False knots, or just kinks, in the umbilical cord are more common and usually don’t pose a medical problem, according to MedScape.
“True knots arise from fetal movements and are more likely to develop during early pregnancy, when relatively more amniotic fluid is present and greater fetal movement occurs. True knots are also associated with advanced maternal age, multiparity, and long umbilical cords,” the site says.
As such, true knots can be dangerous.
“True knots have been reported to lead to a 4-fold increase in fetal loss, presumably because of compression of the cord vessels when the knot tightens,” the site says.
(H/T - IJReview)
