Cord prolapse is an obstetric emergency during pregnancy or labour. It is when the umbilical cord presents itself outside of the uterus while the fetus is still inside. Often the fetus can engage and squash the cord, cutting off oxygen supplies and potentially leading to brain damage or death. The baby must be quickly delivered by caesarean section.
In placental mammals, the umbilical cord is a tube that connects a developing embryo or fetus to its placenta.
Lotus Birth is a practice of leaving the cord uncut after birth so that the baby is left attached to its placenta until the cord naturally separates.
The term "umbilical cord" or just "umbilical" has also come to be used for other cords with similar functions, such as the hose connecting a surface-supplied diver to his surface supply of air and/or heating, or a space-suited astronaut to his spacecraft.
Cord problems are real problems, especially at term but commonly pathologists believe that a normal cord has enough built-in protection to save itself UNLESS there is some other kind of problem making it harder for the cord to function properly.
Although true cord accidents do occur in the third trimester, I have no recollection of ever coming to the conclusion of a pure cord accident in the second trimester when the amniotic fluid volume was normal, and the placenta and cord were healthy.
In fact, the cord is so slippery that when they're trying to encourage the placenta to be born, obstetricians may have to wrap the cord around their hands several times in order to get a good grip on it.
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