Umbilical artery Umbilical artery The umbilical artery is a paired artery (with one for each half of the body) that is found in the abdominal and pelvic regions. In the fetus, it extends into the umbilical cord. The umbilical arteries supply deoxygenated blood from the fetus to the placenta. Although this blood is typically referred to as deoxygenated, it is important to note that this blood is fetal systemic arterial blood and will have the same amount of oxygen and nutrients as blood distributed to the other fetal tissues. There are usually two umbilical arteries present together with one umbilical vein in
Umbilical cord prolapse Umbilical cord prolapse Umbilical cord prolapse is when, during labor, the umbilical cord comes out of the uterus with or before the presenting part of the baby. The concern with cord prolapse is that pressure on the cord from the baby will compromising blood flow to the baby. The greatest risk factor is having had more than two previous children with the current baby in an abnormally positioned within the uterus. Other risks include a premature or small baby, twin pregnancy, and too much amniotic fluid. Whether medical rupture of the amniotic sac is a risk is controversial. The diagnosis