Single Artery Umbilical Cord

Hi J.,
My brother and his wife just went through this same situation. They did not tell anyone in the family because they didn't want anyone to worry. Brenda had several ultrasounds to monitor the baby. Ethan was born April 26 and is completely healthy. He was 7lbs 8 1/2oz. He had an ultrasound on the 27th and he is perfect. I wish you the best of luck..

We will pray for you and your family.

J.,
As sugegsted in another post, please go to the ER. I know this type of situation can make you very upset, but maybe that will take some stress off you- which can only benefit you and your baby.

I also wanted to mention that at 20 weeks, some women haven't even noticed their baby move yet at all. It's still very early and in my first pregnancy, I would sometimes go 3-4 days without feeling any real movement. Your little girl is still small and depending on which way she is facing, you may not feel her movements.

Please try to stay calm. I know that's easier said than done...You and your family are in my prayers.

I looked this up on line because I didn't know a whole lot about it. And once I did, my heart ached. The chances are that your beautiful little girl will be perfect and just fine. But that doesn't help a bit when you just don't know for sure. A few things to help through the difficult times might be buying one of the doppler devices that let you hear your babies heart beat, and keeping a movement diary. And if I were you, any time I felt unsure and didn't feel any movement, I would be in the Emergency Room. Your specialist should be able to do a 3D ultrasound and tell if there are any abnormalities when you go, but look into those doppler devices. One of the most popular is BeBe Sounds. I had one for my last and most difficult pregnancy and it was a godsend. Until then, you and your family are in my prayers.

Aww My Prayers are with you.
I would tell the Dr thou that you havent felt her or go to the ER!!

Hi J.!

I too, have a SUA and found this our at my 20 week ulrasound. I cried for about 2 days straight b/c of the horrible things I saw on the internet. My doctor reassured me that b/c everything else in the ultrasound looked perfectly normal, that there really is very little chance of any other problems due to the SUA. One doctor told me it is basically like having a right handed child vs. a left handed child......i know it sounds funny but it made me feel better that she did not consider this a huge problem at all, just the difference of having a 2 vessel instead of a 3. Just because you have not felt her move for a couple days is not a definite sign that anything is wrong I went to the emergency room around 26 weeks b/c of not feeling her move and once they hooked me up to the monitor she was moving like crazy I just was not feeling her.......so please do not worry too much, it is probably nothing. I am now 35 weeks pregnant and we have been having monthly ultrasounds to check her size, kidneys, etc. and each ultrasound has shown us that our baby girl is growing just fine, actually measuring a little larger for our actualy due date of May 23rd. All I can tell you is be positive and remember that a SUA is not a death sentence, we have just looked at it as an excuse to be able to see out little girl on an ultrasound every month, it has been such a great experience and I can't wait to meet her in a couple of weeks!!! Take Care and don't worry too much, I know how you feel and everytime I felt like something was wrong I was reassured by my doctor that things were moving along in the pregnancy perfectly fine.

Call your doctor about not feeling movement - even if it's after office hours. They can have you get an ultrasound ASAP to check for the heartbeat and everything. As for the single artery, I just went through that with my son. They checked his growth with ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy and we had to get an ultrasound of his kidneys after he was born. He was perfectly fine.

I read all the internet stuff too, but just remember that only a small percentage of the babies with a single artery have problems. One of the doctors in my OB group didn't even think I needed the extra ultrasounds since I was measuring fine. Having 2 arteries is just nature's way of making sure the baby gets what it needs just in case something like this happens.

Take a deep breath and remember that upwards of 90% of babies with a single artery have no problems now. My little guy is almost 5 months old, has no issues, is happy, thriving and quite a chunky little guy (definitely no problems with him growing!). Good luck, and you'll be in my thoughts.

Jen-
I am so sorry to hear about this, I hope everything is ok I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Please send me a personal message if you want to talk more.

N.

This is long, but I hope it will help you to feel better.

I am currently 26 weeks along with a SUA, or two vessel cord, baby. I am doing fine and so is she. I panicked for a few days after my 20 week u/s because I was reading the web. One of my good friends just had a beautiful, healthy baby girl with a SUA. They didn't even know & weren't even monitoring her. This happens a lot. PLEASE step away from the internet.

Having a SUA means literally nothing. It is perfectly normal to NOT feel lots of kicks at 20 weeks. I really started feeling them all the time at 22 weeks, which is EXACTLY when my midwife told me I would start feeling them. If you are unsure or completely worried, call your doctor.

I am being monitored with routine ultrasounds by a very experienced OB. I just had one this week and she is PERFECT. She weighs exactly what she should. Her heart and kidneys looks great. She is measuring exactly where she should be. I am not worrying anymore. She's kicking up a storm right now, as a matter of fact.

Having a SUA means NOTHING in and of itself other than there's a two vessel cord instead of three. The issue is that it can be indicative of OTHER, not necessarily related, problems. The heart, kidneys and cord form around the same time. If there was a problem with the formation of one, then there MIGHT have been a problem with the formation of something else at the same time. They'll check it out. IF I recall correctly, they told me that your risk, in a normal pregnancy, of a "defect" is 3-5% and that it increases 1.5-2% with a SUA baby. The doctor who is doing the u/s said she sees them a lot but she's only seen one baby with a problem in the years she's been practicing.

Dear J.,

You and your baby are in my prayers. As many others have said, talk to your doctor or go to the ER. It will help alleviate some of the stress you are feeling. Remember that what you read on the internet is not always accurate. If you want to read about it go to medical websites such as the Mayo Hospital, WebMD.com, or any that end in edu. Those should be accurate. Many stories that are on the other sites are about the worst case scenerio so try to relax. Again, call your doctor and explain how you are feeling and about your worry that you haven't felt your little one move. But as others have said, it is early and if she is laying with her legs toward the back, you may not feel her! Please post about how things are going.

Hugs and Love,
C.

Statistically more often than not babies born from SAU are normal healthy thriving infants. What you read on the internet is often the 'worst case scenarios.' SAU is common and while you will be considered a high-risk pregnancy the chances that you and your baby will be fine is the likeliest outcome. You will be monitored by specialists for the remainder of your pregnancy to make certain that your little one is growing as she should-if you think you can't wait, try contacting your Dr for additional info-explain your fears and see if they have any advice to offer. Above all dont panic and stress out from worrying (I know much easier said than done) you'll feel much better if you talk to a health professional. I have a very close friend who delivered a healthy baby girl this past Aug-her pregnancy was also SUA. Her baby is perfectly fine and is a very active 8 month old! You might also try finding out about SUA support groups-there are a lot of different types of chat room type group forums on the internet-you might be able to talk to other SUA pregnancies. I hope you get the reasurance you need by talking to someone soon. My heart goes out to you.

J.-You are the only other person that I have heard of with this issue. At my 20 week ultrasound they told me the umbilical cord was not developed enough to see, so at the next appiontment I had another ultrasound. Sure enough, there were only 2 blood vessels. My doctor told me I didn't have anything to worry about, as all the organs that could be affected had developed correctly (kidneys, bladder, and everything else in the endocrine system). I had 3 more ultrasounds, but that was to make sure she was still growing correctly. The only info I found on this problem was on the March of Dimes website by searching on google. I am almost 39 weeks along (hopefully I will have her soon) and I haven't needed an ultrasound in 6 or 8 weeks. As hard as it is to do, try not to worry about it. When I started feeling her kick, I would go days without feeling anything, it depends on how she is laying. If she is facing your spine then you aren't going to feel it when she moves very much. Please keep me updated, as this is a pretty rare issue ____@____.com luck! ~A.

When i was pregnant and couldnt get to the doctors i went to the ER. They can do an ultrasound and they will monitor your baby. I know it put me at ease the times that I went. Dont wait to find out. I know Er can be expensive but it will not hurt to go. Hope this helps.

Hi J., I can understand the emotional turmoil you must be in right now. I am high risk for things happening to my baby, and am 18 weeks along, I was very nervous over the weekend because it seemed like I did not feel movements either, which with the baby being small that might be normal?
Like others suggested, go to ER. You can also see about going to a place that does the 3D ultrasounds for around $100, they may be able to get you in right away without waiting in ER. I heard if you drink Orange juice that is supposed to get the baby moving. I completely sympathasize with you and am truly sorry you are going through this. The following website is a huge comfort to me: http://www.biblestudents.com/Suffering.cfm

Call your ob and tell him that your baby hasn't kicked in two days, see if he can get you in for an ultrasound!

C. N.

Many prayers your way J.. Please try to stay positive and put this in Gods hands.

I have heard about this I have a friend who lost a baby at 26 weeks (not to scare you that was not the only thing wrong just one of a few) but if you are that stressed its not good for you ar the baby call your OB have them see you if they can not see if they will at least call and make the appointment for you at the specialist I know that it sometimes help get you in faster if the doctors office calls. And always remember you can go to the hospital, which is what your OB's office may have you do anyway! You may want to try to eat something high in sugar as long as you are not diabetic or it has been restriced. Just to easy your worries alittle... When I was pg with my 4th I found out aug.28 after ultrasound they gave me a due date of Nov.26 yes i was almost 7 months pregnant. My daughter had what is call gastrosicsis (sp?) It is a birthdefect that causes the abdomanal wall to not close leaving a hole where her bell button should be and yes that means her insides where outside. She took nothing from me I still had my cycle every month. I lost like 40 pounds cause i was dieting i had a 1 year old I was tring to lose the weight from her! i never once felt her kick she was born 43 days early, had major surgery at 45 min old! And except for a few minor set backs is a happy healthy 8 yr old! So as stressful and scary as high risk pregnancy's are just know that God would not have brought you here if he was not going to see you through it

I have never heard of this but I have included you and your baby girl in my prayers. please post after your appt and let everyone know how it is going...good luck

You and your daughter are in my prayers. Try to think positive, if that's possible. I work at a local hospital and receive body parts from surgery. We have gotten a few placenta's that only have had one artery and the baby has been fine, so having only one artery isn't necessary a "death sentence".

J., you, your baby and your family are in my prayers.