https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 25 Apr 2026 19:56:57 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-2793091 Thu, 21 Dec 2017 14:23:04 +0000 agold 2793091@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bumping this thread. </p> <p>I just found out I'm dealing with a velamentous cord insertion. Doctor called to tell me, but told me not to worry. Of course, I worry. Just curious if anyone else has any experience with this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-442541 Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:19:22 +0000 Heapy0175 442541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi photojane - just wanted to respond to say I had a baby with velamentous cord insertion. It wasnt detected until after the birth. I had a healthy pregnancy with baby measuring bang on for dates. I had opted for c section due to my previous delivery of an emergency section and because he is my last chance ivf baby, so my was born at 39 weeks in July 2012. On delivery the midwife told us how lucky it had been that I didn't spontaneously go into labour or have my membranes ruptured as we could have lost the baby. I had been scanned regularly because it was an ivf pregnancy, right up to 36 weeks too with it never being picked up. I just wanted to reassure you that a healthy baby can come from this situation. Good luck with your future delivery. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-352050 Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:52:41 +0000 photojane 352050@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ChelseaRose: thanks! i really feel so silly worrying when the midwife and u/s tech both said not to. i'm still debating whether or not to call and make an appointment for this week. i feel like i should be able to wait. we'll see... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-351680 Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:59:07 +0000 ChelseaRose 351680@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@photojane: Although this isn't something that I've dealt with, if you are really that worried then call and make another appointment to be seen earlier. It would be better for you and baby not to spend an entire month stressing and worrying, especially with all the stories available on the internet that may or may not apply to your situation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-351651 Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:22:05 +0000 photojane 351651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks, @Honeybee: just wanted to say thank you for the support, answers, and insight. i'll update you after my appointment in november! i'm still a little worried, but trying to take it easy and have faith in my doctors! if you have anything else to add, please feel free to do so. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-347994 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:57:34 +0000 Honeybee 347994@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>During the anatomy scan they noticed DS was measuring small (everywhere but in his head circumference, which was measuring 3 weeks ahead). I had three ultrasounds between 20 and 28 weeks with the hospital in town, one at 28 weeks with the perinatal doctow, and then one every couple weeks after that to monitor growth. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-347978 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:54:03 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 347978@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@photojane: I always measured pretty small, but at my anatomy scan they figured it out. I didn't go to every week US until about 30 weeks when it was apparent that growth was pretty restricted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-347964 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:50:57 +0000 photojane 347964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Coco Bee: thanks for the encouragement! i've emailed my doctor just to get a little more info, so hopefully that will help cut down on the worrying.</p> <p>@Honeybee, @Mrs. Jacks: thanks for all of the input! you guys are the best. just wondering, when did they notice the low growth measurements? right now sadie is smallish, but definitely in the normal spectrum. i'm 23w3d. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-347209 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:23:59 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 347209@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also had to go onto bed rest for poor growth and maternal HTN, they thought it was related to this... But I don't have any information from a population level. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346953 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:08:03 +0000 Honeybee 346953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@photojane: Maybe? I'm sorry I don't know enough to tell you about the real risks; hopefully, Mrs. Jacks can weigh in since she has a strong medical background, whereas I just have the understandings I picked up from my doctors.</p> <p>The problems from the cord issues caused DS to have low growth measurements, and as a result I ended up on modified bed rest. DS was born at a great weight, though (over 7 pounds, which was almost a pound bigger than my daughter) so the majority of my issues were after his birth (rupture of the membrane during placenta removal which lead to blood loss and a manual placenta extraction). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346938 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:02:27 +0000 photojane 346938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks, @Honeybee: so, does this mean my main worry wouldn't be until delivery then? i'm so sorry to bother y'all! i just have a month until i can ask my questions, and that's a LONG time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346902 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:54:12 +0000 Honeybee 346902@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Lol, I'm not exactly the best incubator either. :) I do feel very lucky that we got two amazing kids despite our issues.</p> <p>@photojane: I did not have vasa previa; my understanding is that vasa previa is very rare, even among women with a velamentous insert. My placenta was posterior, about midway down the uterus, and the insert was on the very left edge.</p> <p>ETA: Like Mrs. Jacks, I also had a rupture, but it did not happen until after DS's birth during the placenta removal (not during labor). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346882 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:50:55 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 346882@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>VP and VCI are related but distinct entities. My placenta was high and VP was not a worry. However, because of the friable unprotected vessels, I did have a small rupture at the time of delivery where the cord was detaching from the placenta. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346822 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:40:18 +0000 photojane 346822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Honeybee: @Mrs. Jacks: so did either of you have vasa previa or was it just the VCI and membranous cords that caused the problems? where were your insertions? i would think that because mine is up high (or at least from what i could tell) it wouldn't be a problem... right? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346810 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:38:50 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 346810@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Honeybee: I did have a subchorionic hemorrhage that they postulated may have started off the cascade of events... but I was still a bad baby-house ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346809 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:38:33 +0000 Mrs. Pen 346809@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaMoose: agreed.</p> <p>Like mamamoose said, OBs and midwives tend to err on the side of caution. When I was diagnosed with pre-e (and not even fully diagnosed), my midwife was very stern and put me on strict bed rest. She was not fooling around. When something is serious they will tell you.</p> <p>Good luck and try not to worry!! Worry is bad for little bambino ;) </p> <p>My midwife told me, when I was all worked up about pre-e and bedrest, to have a half glass of wine to calm my nerves. If that's what it takes ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346800 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:35:58 +0000 Honeybee 346800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Ok, that makes much more sense. I always separated out our issues, but I can see how they are actually related, and how one leads to the next. Didn't you also have a possible reabsorbed hematoma which lead to the velamentous insert in the first place? Your first pregnancy and my second were so similar, although I think you had a worse go of it with Lala. </p> <p>OP - I don't want to scare you, so I won't comment on my issues until you talk to your doctor and find out how serious your issues are. Just know that both Mrs. Jacks and I went through similar issues (hers worse than mine, I think), and both of us ended up with healthy babies and happy endings. :) And of course, we're here to offer our support if you should need it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346798 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:35:37 +0000 photojane 346798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>they actually gave me very little details. that's why i was consulting dr. google. basically the ultrasound tech noticed something was different, and had to look it up in one of her books. the tech met with the midwife for a few minutes before i met with her, and then the midwife told me what it was called, and that she's never seen one found via u/s. she said they'll watch my fundal height, but i should be fine. she didn't address it much.</p> <p>the ultrasound tech explained a little bit of what was looking different during the ultrasound, and basically my placenta wraps around my uterus from front to back, and in the middle it's super thin and that where the VCI is. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346752 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:26:49 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 346752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Honeybee: So they are related problems. Think of them as a spectrum of problems. Velamentous just means insertion along the edge. Most velamentous cords if they stay that way need to be watched but are fine, but in my case, the placenta didn't really grow correctly (remember I was a bad baby house!) and as the pregnancy progressed, the insertion was further and further from where it should have been, making it membranous. That's because as much collateral circulation as possible was trying to develop in order to nourish the babe. There is a lack of Wharton's jelly to protect the cord in those areas.</p> <p>Here's some fun (technical) reading:<br /> <a href="http://www.uptodate.com/contents/velamentous-umbilical-cord-insertion-and-vasa-previa" rel="nofollow">http://www.uptodate.com/contents/velamentous-umbilical-cord-insertion-and-vasa-previa</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346672 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:05:23 +0000 Honeybee 346672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I thought they were two separate issues (velamentous insert and membranous cord), and our issues were caused by the cord, not the insert. Do you think they're actually related issues? You and I are the only people I've known with a velamentous insert, and we both also had membranous cords, so I wonder if they're two sides of the same problem...</p> <p>OP, did the doctor say the cord was membranous at the insertion point? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-346369 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:42:58 +0000 photojane 346369@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>thanks so much for the input! i'm choosing to believe that i'm in the group that is generally unaffected by this. google is just scary! </p> <p>next month's appointment is with an ob, so i will talk to her about what it might mean for my pregnancy. now i just have to try to not worry for the next month! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345758 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:11:14 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 345758@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had one and it was super scary for me, with weekly Us's and we had a partial avulsion at delivery... Our daughter was fine though and it taught me that you can't control everything in pregnancy.</p> <p>A couple of us have been through this and can hopefully provide support. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345747 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:58:58 +0000 Honeybee 345747@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know what you're reading right now (increased possibility of cord rupture, bleeding out, and maternal/fetal death) and first of all, it's really important to realize that "increased" risk is still very rare. I would still make an appointment with your OB to go over everything, but they should reassure you that if your case is not serious, you have very low chances of anything negative happening.</p> <p>At my dating scan (I think I was 12 weeks - it was a little late) my doctor saw what she thought was a hematoma that had reabsorbed into the placenta. She told me not to worry, but we'd check up on it during my anatomy scan to make sure it wasn't casuing any problems. During my anatomy scan, they double checked and could tell something was off, but they weren't quite sure how bad it was. 8 weeks and three scans later, I ended up going to a high risk doctor for a more in-depth ultrasound. During this time, my doctor informed me that I may be faced with a planned c-section, instead of spontaneous labor. Ultimately, at the high risk ultrasound, the doctor found that the cord was also membranous, meaning at the insertion point it separated into individual vessels, instead of clumping together in one cord. The velamentous insertion turned out not to be an issue at all, and all the complications I had during my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum were a result of the membranous cord, not the velamentous insertion. I ended up with a spontaneous vaginal delivery and a very healthy baby boy. </p> <p>Remeber that velamentous insertions usually turn out exactly like mine did - as a total non-issue. In fact, a good portion of velamentous insertions aren't even discovered until after the birth, when the doctor is doing the placenta examination. It's scary, but really unlikely to cause problems. :) Keep us updated on what happens, and how your follow up appointment goes with your OB! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345642 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:36:22 +0000 Honeybee 345642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i did with DS. I'll write about it after i get him in bed but in the meantime, stop googling. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345592 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:39:01 +0000 MamaMoose 345592@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@photojane: again, don't worry until someone tells you you should. But yes I personally would call back and request to either have an appointment with an OB or to speak to one on the phone. Just so you have an opportunity to asks questions and get reassurance from someone you trust. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345584 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:33:42 +0000 blackbird 345584@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If your doctor isn't too concerned with it, I wouldn't worry about it!</p> <p>It sounds like it's not in the dangerous spot, so they'll just keep an eye on ya. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345582 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:31:32 +0000 photojane 345582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@prettylizy: thank you!! :)</p> <p>@MamaMoose: i actually didn't see my doctor today. my practice is comprised of doctors and midwives, and i usually see a midwife for appointments that are just "check-ins." she was basically just there in case i had any questions. it's not that i don't trust the midwives, but i just feel more comfortable with the OBs in the practice. i'm wondering if i should make an appointment to talk about it with an OB. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345572 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:24:38 +0000 MamaMoose 345572@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a big believer in trusting your doctor's knowledge and experience and only worrying if they are worried. Usually if anything OBs are overly cautious if for no other reason than to cover their own asses so if there was a reason to be concerned your doc would have told you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345559 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:19:41 +0000 prettylizy 345559@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No advice, just wishing you good luck, and Dr. Google is the worst right?! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/velamentous-cord-insertion#post-345550 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:17:08 +0000 photojane 345550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>hi y'all! we had a scan at our 24 week appointment today (i'm technically 23w2d) to take a peek at baby girl's heart. they weren't able to get a good picture of the chambers at our a/s, so we got to see her again today. the tech was looking at her umbilical cord, and was showing us the colored bloodflow in the cord when she noticed something was a little off. we were told a little later that i have a velamentous cord insertion. from what i could tell from the u/s the placenta is up high in the uterus and wraps around front to back. i don't think there's any risk for vasa previa, and they didn't mention anything about that being a risk. i've just been consulting dr. google about VCI, and it's sort of freaking me out. the doctor didn't really seem worried, but now i am!</p> <p>anyone deal with this? anyone have any advice/experience/stories? </p>