Double Knot in Umbilical Cord.

The thing is, they may have known there was a possibility of brain damage. However, they could never have known if or how much until after he was born. They also, may not know how long the cord was knotted. There are many variables here and it's going to be hard to prove neglegance on a case like this.

I've been told that you cannot visualize the cord sufficiently on ultrasound to see what's going on with it -- you can see little sections, but not the whole thing, and you usually can't tell if it's around the neck, etc. Particularly late in pregnancy, when there's so little room in there, it's next to impossible to see much of the cord, since the only part is visible is the part floating in open pockets of fluid... as I'm sure you know, there are very few open pockets of fluid at the end.

If they were doing biophysical profiles and or non-stress tests during your pregnancy and they were all normal, they would have had no reason to expect any problems. Since it's difficult or impossible to really assess the cord late in pregnancy and since there's no test to see how well the placenta's functioning, they do the BPP's and NSTs to assess for fetal well-being and hypoxia. If the baby shows no signs of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), they assume the cord and placenta are working well.

Now, if there were signs of hypoxia and distress in your BPPs/NSTs and they didn't do anything about it, that would be malpractice! I don't know if that's the case, but it would be good to gather your records and ask someone to go through them (your OB would have the skill to, if you trust him/her).

You can definitely speak to your OBGYN about it or even a lawyer if you'd like, but in my understanding (which may not be perfect! This just is what I've been told and gathered from the OBs and maternal-fetal medicine docs I work with) of what ultrasound can do and how it's used, I wouldn't think it was malpractice based on what you said alone. But of course, I don't have your medical records and don't know the whole story, either. I wish the best for you and your little boy!

I was high risk & also monitored every week as the cord was around my son's neck. Sadly, most doctors do not monitor the cord at all or where it is. My dr did & still does. Most insurance companies (mine in particular) refused to pay for that type of ultrasound as they say it is "experitmental" & no proof it makes a differance, but as you can see in your case it would have. These ultrasounds "see" the cord by switching to a blood flow image. I am very sorry that happened to you, sometimes even with higher monitoring these things happen & cause damage before even the doctor has a chance to save the baby or correct the situation in emergency c-section. You didn't mention if you had a vaginal delivery, this could make the difference as during contractions the cord "compresses" a little even in normal circumstances & in a knot situation can cause a life threatening compression. I had a c-section both due to the cord around the neck & my son being breech. Thankfully his cord never compressed. If you were higher risk & being monitored every week, they should have at least suggested C-section. Email me if you have any more questions. I'll be glad to answer.

You have a good point! I would first ask the OB if this is something the U/s should pick up. I read one moms story where the u/s found a knot and she had a csection that week.

omg that happen to me . I was preg with my 3rd son and i was 34 weeks preg and i was out Christmas shopping and I noticed the baby was not moving (and he was very active) so when I got home I told my husband and he told me to call the Dr and I said na I don't want to bother them. well something told me to call the Dr so I did and they told me to come in and when I did they put me on a monitor and told me to hit the button when he moved so nothing in 20 mins so they gave me choc and still nothing so they sent me to the hospital needless to say they did a emergency c section and I heard the Dr say o my go (not what you want to hear when you are cut open) and he said 1 2 3 4 .. The babies cord was wrapped around his neck 4 times and it was in a double knot. When they pulled him out he was blue and he weighed 3 pounds.. They didn't know if his lungs were even developed so when I woke up from my c section(they had to put me out my heart rate was dropping) the neonatioligest was standing next to my bed with my husband and he said well give your self a pat on the back because you just saved your son's life. They said if I had waited another hour he would have been dead and they got him just in time. The dr's couldn't explain how his lungs were fully developed and how he was breathing on his own. He was a fighter and we were calling him Rocky because he was a fighter while in the NICU and the nurses were calling him a Christmas miracle (he was born Dec.18th) We gave him the name Nicholas Robert(NIcholas because he is a saint and Robert after my father in law who had passed away and I believe was watching over us).
He is a healthy 3 year old now. My husband and I stopped trying for that little because we felt god gives you little hints and this was our hint to be gratful for our 3 beautiful boys..

T., I am sorry to hear about the issues with your baby. Perhaps you need to get your records, have another doctor review them, and discuss with you whether the ultrasounds show any evidence of the knotted cord and whether this issue is what caused the brain damage - if you were having ultrasounds on a weekly basis, it sounds like you were very high risk and I don't know what your medical conditions were - and these things are best evaluated by a medical professional.
Good luck!

Hi T.,

I would ask the OB/GYN - but only if they weren't the ones giving the ultrasound.
This being said, from what I know of ultrasounds and knots (my brother was born with one around his neck!) a) the baby can do it at any time, including in the last week, and b) depending on where the knot was on the cord, and the position of the baby, the ultrasound may not have picked it up. For instance, it can't pick up what is behind the baby (between the baby and your body). So I would most definitely ask for an opinion, from a good Dr, and also from a lawyer specializing in this kind of thing. Since their income depends on winning, they know which cases are winnable (i.e. there probably is something), and which cases aren't.

If you don't know who to contact, send me a private message and I'll give you the name of an injury lawyer I trust. If he can't help you, he'll know who can.

K.

It may not have necesarily been caught. My sister in law ended up having to have a c-section which ended up to be a good thing because the umbilical cord was wrapped 3 times around my nephew's neck and it was not caught on the last ultra sound she had. I would talk to an expert about it. And you may want to seek someone for you to talk about your anger with what happened to your son. you have a right to feel angry and talking about it may help you deal with all the emotions you are feeling.

Why did you have ultrasounds every week? Not sure if they
can see that on ultrasound. That is something you will
have to investigate. I am sorry you have to go thru this.
Start therapies early so he can achieve the maximum.
Good luck.

Definitely talk to a few medical malpractice attorneys. They should give you a free initial consultation to determine if you have a case. Also, if they take your case, it should be on a "contingency" basis, which means they only get paid if you win, so it shouldn't cost you any money. Good luck, and I'm so sorry for this hardship.

I'm so sorry to hear about your little boy. I wish you the best of luck with everything. You seek an answer to a legal question, so this is not the best place to find your answer. Instead, you should get all your medical records and go speak with an medical malpractice attorney, preferably one who specializes in this type of case. They'll be in the best position to tell you if you have a claim.

Good luck.

get all your records.. and talk with a lawyer.. good luck.

Hi T.. so sorry to hear that this happened. but a knot in the umbilical cord can happen at any point during pregnancy. He could have been kicking around in there and got himself tangled on it and caused it to knot. I do not believe this is malpractice. . I wish you the best of luck!

So sorry. Just a note my daughter had a single true knot in her cord when she was born (she is fine) and I went the whole 9 months too without knowing. I too was monitored closely because of a thyroid condition. I even had a sonogram 3 days and the day before my baby was born and no one knew. I'm not sure they can actually see a knot. My doctor as she delivered my baby found it and was amazed. I think if they had even suspected it they would have made me deliver by c-section. I'm sorry for your son's problems but it most likely is not malpractice as much as medicines inability to monitor internally really well. A.