Petal & Pod Imaging

The umbilical cord is WAAAAY more interesting than it gets credit for! Here’s why:

👶🏼 It’s literally a lifeline! The cord connects baby to the placenta, delivering oxygen and nutrients while carrying away waste products.

👶🏼 No breathing required (yet)
Babies don’t use their lungs in the womb—oxygen comes through the cord instead.

👶🏼 It has a special protective jelly called Wharton’s jelly, which cushions the blood vessels and keeps them from getting compressed.

👶🏼 It usually has 3 vessels. Most cords contain two arteries and one vein. The vein brings oxygen-rich blood to the baby, and the arteries carry waste away.

👶🏼 It can get pretty long! The average cord is about 20–24 inches long, but some can be much longer (or shorter).

👶🏼 Babies can play with it! In the womb, babies often grab, tug, and even suck on the cord—totally normal.

👶🏼 Cord “knots” aren’t always dangerous. A true knot can form if baby moves a lot, but many don’t tighten enough to cause problems.

👶🏼 It has no nerves, so when we cut the cord after birth it doesn’t hurt mom or baby.

👶🏼 Delayed cord clamping has benefits!
Waiting 30–60 seconds (or longer) after birth before clamping can boost baby’s iron levels and blood volume.

👶🏼 It can be saved for stem cells!
Cord blood is rich in stem cells and can be banked for potential future medical use.

Pretty dang cool, huh?! 🩷

I had such a fun morning 4D scanning this cute little babe and meeting his awesome mommy and daddy. Thank you!

11 weeks 💪

17 week sweet little girl 🩷 showing off how she sucks her thumb!

20 week 4D ultrasound

We had an 18 week little acrobat this week❤️ 😭

Just some cuteness to start the work week.