This is something id like people to be aware of as i had never heard of it until my baby was diagnosed with SUA.
When i went for my 19week abnormalty scan everything seemed to be fine. Then the sonographer had realised there was a problem with the
umbilical cord. In a normal Umbilical cord there is suppose to be 3 vessels,These vessels are made up of 2 arterys and 1 vein. Even tho only 1 artery is needed to sustain a normal healthy pregnancy, it still raises concern when the other artery is'nt present. The arterys are there to carry the babies waste through to the placenta and then back to the mum to dispose of. The vein is to carry the blood, nutrients and oxygen to the baby.
So what is SUA?? Sua is when there is only 1artery and 1vein present instead of 2arterys and 1 vein. This just means that when the umbilcal cord was developing the 2nd artery didnt appear or only grew small and isnt big enough to do the job.
Is SUA commom?? No not really, It only occurs in 1 in 100 live births and happens twice as much in Caucasion women then it would Asian and African American women. The male-to-female ratio is 0.85:1.
When are the chances increased of having SUA??
Female fetal sex
Maternal age over 40years
3 previous children
Multiple fetuses
The only affect that SUA will have on your pregnancy is having a baby at a low birth weight <2500g, ive been told to expect nothing over 6pounds and that most women whos babies cord is affected with SUA deliver their babies early, around 37weeks. Also you will be closely monitored from 30weeks to make sure your baby is putting on weight and so they can keep track of how much weight is being put on.
So what affect will SUA have on my baby?? One third of babies will suffer some sort of anomaly, half will suffer from structural heart abnormalities,just over a third had some gastrointestinal tract abnormality, while one fourth will suffer from some malformation of the central nervous system. While Two thirds of babies will have no problem at all besides a low birth weight.
Some things that your sonographer will check for are cleft lip, spina bifida, ventral wall defects, and marginal and velamentous insertion of the cord. My sonographer checked for all of this and everyhting is fine and growing fine. The heart was also checked and the 4chambers are present and the heart looks normal and healthy. I also had the babies kidneys and bladder checked and all seem to be working correctly without any difficulty so i have been told not to be concerned, and that my baby will be one of two thirds who come out with no problem.
Like any Mum/Mum2b would, i was still worried and couldnt stop thinking if my baby was ok. I brought this up with my midwife and she reassured me that everything is fine and everything will be, the only thing they are concerned about is his weight. While he was measuring to be 19weeks and that i was, babies tend to slow down a little in the last trimester and just store fat which they think he will not store much of..That is why they are thinking he will be a 5pound baby. They said they wouldnt expect much bigger off me anyway considering how tiny i am. I was only 5pound 9 full term and iv'e grown pretty talla and im healthy, so im not to worried if my baby is small, ill fatten him up.
So the most common problems associated with SUA are the kidneys,bladder and heart, which all of these can be checked for while pregnant via Ultrasound.
I'm 29weeks pregnant at the moment, and everything is fine.My belly is measuring correctly, bubs moves ALOT, he is a very powerful and active baby, he never seems to stop bashing up my insides lol..I have an ultrasound in 3weeks so they can get a rough idea on how much he weighs and if everything still looks fine there will be no more testing done. When he is born they will be doing a quick Ultrasound of his kidneys and they will take away the cord for testing.
I would just like to end this by saying, if you are told there is only a SUA present dont get worried. Ask questions and im sure everything will be answered for you. Yes some babies will be affected and you need to prepare yourself for that if that may happen and like i said they can test everything and you will be told exactly what your most at risk of having problems with if anything. Im just so thankful that my baby is a lucky one who hasnt been affected, this is also because I dont relate to any of the increased chances such as my baby being a twin or me being over 40yrs old.
Thankyou all for reading, and i hope I've given enough information for the people who hadnt heard of this condition before.
Dannii xxo
(April 23rd) (
I promise
