Umbilical cord

The umbilical cord is a flexible connection between fetus and placenta, carrying oxygen, nutrients, and waste through fetal blood vessels.

Umbilical arteries: Paired fetal blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood from the fetus toward the placenta. They carry fetal blood outward through the cord for placental exchange.
Fetus: A developing human from the end of the embryonic period until birth. The cord carries blood between the fetus and placenta.
Delayed cord clamping: The practice of waiting briefly after birth before clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. The timing of clamping affects transfer of blood from placenta to newborn.
Single umbilical artery: A cord configuration with one umbilical artery rather than the usual two. This structural variation can prompt evaluation for associated fetal conditions.
Connecting stalk: An early embryonic structure that links the embryo to the chorion and contributes to the umbilical cord. It is an early physical precursor of the cord.
Umbilical vein: The fetal blood vessel that carries oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood from the placenta toward the fetus. It returns placental blood through the cord to the fetus.
Amniotic sac: The fluid-filled membrane sac that surrounds and protects an embryo or fetus during pregnancy. The cord extends through the amniotic environment around the fetus.
Umbilical cord blood banking: The collection and storage of newborn cord blood, which contains blood-forming stem cells. Blood remaining in the cord after birth can be collected for transplantation or research.
Velamentous cord insertion: A placental insertion in which umbilical vessels travel through fetal membranes before reaching the placenta. Unprotected vessels near the cord’s placental attachment can be vulnerable to compression or rupture.
Embryonic folding: The process by which a flat embryonic disc folds into a three-dimensional body form. Folding brings extraembryonic structures together at the future umbilical region.

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