Umbilical insertion

We had our extensive ultrasound yesterday with the peri. It went great, both girls (Oh yeah, we found out we are expecting id girls!) are measuring in at 10 ounces, fluids look good, heartbeats at 160 (baby A or righty) and 155. All the good stuff we wanted to hear.

Dr. did scan the umbilical insertions of each baby and saw that Baby B's was right on the placental disc or plate and looked awesome. Baby A's cord was more off to the side (but not into the membranes which he said was good) and instead of having the normal 2 arties/1 vein she had only 1 artery flow/1 vein. He said this happens and most often the only concern is growth restriction. He mentioned that sometimes it is an indicator of other birth defects but after scanning the babies he doesn't see anything else indicating any further problems. And since Baby B's was normal and they both looked normal he stated that this was just a premature "shut down" of the one artery.

I just wondered if anyone else has had this situation and what the outcome was. Please share no matter what the outcome, I am one that likes all the info (good, bad, otherwise) and will appreciate any insight as to what might lie ahead for us.

Thank you and hope everyone is having a great day!

 

My Baby A had an umbilical cord that inserted about 4cm from the edge of the placental disk. She had the typical artery flow, so no issues there. We monitored her extra careful throughout the pregnancy to ensure she kept growing. At 36 weeks she hadn't grown much (if at all) from the week before, and my blood pressure was high, so I was scheduled for a semi-emergency C-section. She was born about 25% smaller than her sister and is still about a pound smaller at 22 months. She also had fairly severe reflux and aspiration issues due to a digestive system that wasn't completely formed. There wasn't anything wrong, just that her system wasn't ready to process foods yet due to the IUGR. She was on reflux medicine for 18 months and didn't much like to eat for the first six months. Other than that, though, totally healthy and today you'd never know she had an umbilical cord problem.

My advice to you is to make sure you're eating extra healthy, taking in TONS of protein (drink two or three protein shakes throughout the day) and drink lots and lots of water. Since your baby has less flow it means she's getting less nutrition than her sister, and probably less nutrition than she "needs" to grow on the typical growth chart. So everything you can do to get additional vitamins and minerals and calories in her will help you have two healthy babies. Also, rest as much as you can on your left side. It really works. There is more blood flow to the placenta when you're resting, and even more when you're on your left side.

You may find that your perinatologist will advise you to stop working (if you do) or go on modified bed rest. Those are proven ways to help babies struggling with IUGR. You'll probably also be monitored more frequently than some other twin pregnancies.

 

I am way behind you MommaJ, I am 13 weeks. When I had my 10 week ultrasound, the peri said we had one great attachment, and one baby had a marginal (I think that was the term). Wasnt bad, but wasnt as good as the other baby. They said it was too soon to worry, cause the placenta could grow, and the insertion could improve.
I too am very concerned about this, and very nervous for my next US! I have been drinking 2 protein shakes a day, and trying to get protein in as much as I can, too assist these babies as much as I can!
Did they put you on bed rest, or to limit activity? Also, how far along are you?
Good luck to you! Wish you the best Sarah

 

Our baby A has a marginal cord insertation (on the tippy edge of the placenta) and she has IUGR. We're at 25 weeks now and she's quite a bit smaller than her sister or so. (1lb vs 1lb 11oz)

I'm on hospital bedrest for that (and for a complete previa, some velamentous cord action and a crummy looking placenta on A's side) but the doctors seem confident that things will be okay.

 

My babies have sIUGR due to twin b having a poor cord insertion. At todays U/S twin a was 1.55 kg, baby b 835gms (yes, nearly half the size). We had weekly u/s from 20 weeks - 26 weeks, now they are twice a week. I am not on any bedrest. The babies continue to surprise the drs - they were certain they would have to deliver them betweem 27 and 29 weeks. But brain flow continues to be good as does heart, so they are better left in. The drs will deliver at 32 weeks, if we can get that far. Long term effects on the little baby are negligible - his brain gets the priority of blood flow, followed by other major organs. Last in line is his digestive tract, things like IBS are a higher risk. But that is fine, I'd rather his brain be getting the blood!
My SIL's baby only had the 2 arteries. She was told that this is not a major concern, often they don't even realise this until the cord is examined after birth. Her LO is very happy and healthy.
BTW is was very obvious early on mine had sIUGR, at 15 weeks little twin was measuring 9 days behind his big brother. Best of luck!