Is breech position a big concern?

Question

Hi doctor,

My wife is 29 weeks pregnant. Today we had one ultrasound scan and the report is as follows. Single live fetus in breech presentation and 2v umbilical cord. Is this a big problem? Will it cause any problem to my baby during or after birth? Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The breech position is not a concern at the moment as it might change till 34 weeks in all and can become cephalic. Your wife's ultrasound report does not show any good sign for the baby's development and a single umbilical artery (2 vessel umbilical cord) is an aberration and not normal. Mostly baby's umbilical cords have three blood vessels: one vein, which brings nutrients from the placenta to baby and two arteries that bring waste back to the placenta. But, a two-vessel cord has just one vein and one artery. That is why the condition is also referred to as having a single umbilical artery. It is also associated with Down's syndrome as a marker and could be related. Though the growth of the child is adequate, one needs to just follow up with two weekly scans. If the child is with Down's syndrome, then complications can be heart defects as evident by precordial effusion. A Down's syndromic child's life span is short and can live up to 17-21 years usually. Though you should have got an amniocentesis done for karyotyping post TIFFA scan (targeted imaging for fetal anomalies), but nevertheless its too late as of now. All you can do is wait and watch as there is no intrauterine intervention indicated. There should not be any post birth complications if it is not a Down's syndrome.