Umbilical cord before the baby occurs in which condition?

• A. Nuchal Cord
• B. Placenta Previa
• C. Prolapsed Cord
• D. APGAR

Answer: (C)

When the umbilical cord slides ahead of the presenting part into the birth canal, that is a prolapsed cord. This happens most often after the membranes rupture, especially if the presenting part isn’t well seated or if there are factors like a high-lying part or a long cord. It’s an obstetric emergency because the cord can be compressed between the fetus and the birth canal, cutting off oxygen and blood flow. You’d expect to see signs of fetal distress, such as sudden decelerations on fetal monitoring, and sometimes the cord may be felt or seen at the cervix or vagina after rupture of membranes. The key here is to relieve pressure on the cord and expedite delivery: gently elevate the presenting part with gloved fingers to prevent further compression, reposition the mother (for example, knee-chest or Trendelenburg with the pelvis elevated), give oxygen to the mother, and prepare for urgent delivery, usually by cesarean if delivery cannot be achieved immediately. Other conditions involve different problems with the cord or placenta—nuchal cord is cord around the baby’s neck, placenta previa is placenta covering the cervix, and APGAR is a newborn scoring system—not describing the cord presenting before the baby.