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No advice, just wishing you good luck, and Dr. Google is the worst right?!

@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.

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.

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.

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!

@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.

Here's some fun (technical) reading:
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/velamentous-umbilical-cord-insertion-and-vasa-previa

@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.

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.

@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

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.

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.

@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.

Bumping this thread.

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.