'Miracle baby' is born healthy through a natural delivery despite having his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck SIX TIMES
- The boy was born safe and sound via a natural delivery in China, a hospital said
- Medics said his birth cord was 35 inches in length, much longer than the average
- A C-section wasn't used because the mother and boy's vital signs were normal
- Their doctor told reporters that the pair were doing well and ready to go home
A baby has reportedly been born safe and sound in China after getting his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck six times while in his mother's womb.
The healthy boy, billed by doctors as a 'miracle baby', was delivered naturally last week and weighed just over three kilograms (6.6 pounds) at birth, according to a hospital in the province of Hubei.
One obstetrician told reporters: 'I have worked for 23 years, and this is the first time I have seen [a baby born like this].'
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A picture released by a Chinese TV station shows the newborn's neck encircled by his navel string from top to bottom. He was born safe and sound through a natural delivery in China
Obstetricians in the province of Hubei said the child, billed as a 'miracle baby', was doing well
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The boy's mother, known by her surname Dai, said she was surprised to be told of her child's situation after giving birth to him at the Yichang Central Hospital last Thursday.
She told Yichang Three Gorges Station: 'All the doctors gathered to look at [my baby] and counted how many times [the cord had wrapped him].'
A picture released by the local TV station shows the newborn's neck encircled by his navel string from top to bottom.
'I feel lucky that the child did not have problems,' the baby's mother, Ms Dai, told reporters
Obstetricians said that the baby's umbilical cord, known as the nuchal cord among medical professionals, measured 90 centimetres (35.4 inches) in length, about 40 centimetres (11.8 inches) longer than the average.
The umbilical cord is considered a lifeline for babies in the womb, supplying them with blood, oxygen and nutrients needed to grow.
Around a third of babies are born with their umbilical cord wrapped around their neck, according to an expert.
Obstetricians said Ms Dai and the baby were in stable condition and getting ready to go home
Dr Li Hua, the supervisor of the Department of Obstetrics in the hospital, said that it was fortunate that the boy's birth cord was long. Otherwise, he could have faced the risk of being strangled during the delivery.
Dr Li added that the squeezing of the cord could have caused pressure on the baby, leading to various complications.
Medics initially discovered the baby's condition during an antenatal check two weeks before his birth, the report said. But the cord had only wrapped him once.
A week later, staff found out that the cord had formed another circle around the boy's neck.
Dr Li Hua, the supervisor of the Department of Obstetrics in the hospital, said that it was fortunate that the boy's birth cord was long. Otherwise, he could have faced complications
Dr Li said medics did not take actions at the time because Ms Dai and her baby were doing well.
But when Ms Dai went into labour in the wee hours of July 30, they saw in medical scans that the cord had already covered the baby's neck one round after another.
However, they decided to let Ms Dai proceed with a vaginal delivery because all vital signs of the mother and the child were within normal ranges.
Dr Li said Ms Dai and the baby were in stable condition and getting ready to go home.
'I feel lucky that the child did not have problems,' said Ms Dai before joking that her son was 'so naughty' while in her womb.
WHAT IS A NUCHAL CORD?
The umbilical cord is considered a lifeline for babies in the womb, supplying them with blood, oxygen and nutrients needed to grow.
But the tough stalk, usually around 50cm (19.7 inches) long, can get wrapped around their neck as they move around.
Obstetricians say nuchal cords - as they are medically known - can also happen during labour as the baby moves.
The umbilical cord is considered a lifeline for babies in the womb
Midwife Dr Rachel Reed says around a third of babies are born with their umbilical cord wrapped around their neck.
In a fear debunking piece for the National Childbirth Trust, she wrote: 'The umbilical cord is perfectly designed to withstand being stretched and wrapped around the baby.'
Dr Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, of the University of Texas Southwestern, said pregnant women could 'breathe a sigh of relief', however. Most of the time, it is not dangerous because it is wrapped loose and can be slipped over the baby's head.
In a blog, the obstetrician and gynaecologist wrote: 'The majority of time, babies do just fine when one is present.'
But she added it could, in extreme cases, be dangerous, saying: 'Prior to delivery, if blood flow is completely cut off, a stillbirth can occur.'
In rare cases, it is possible for the umbilical cord to get wrapped around the neck twice.
ABC Law Centers, personal injury lawyers in the US, says the cord can actually get wrapped 'more than twice'.
