Sam had a two-vessel cord... My first instruction is simply DO NOT GOOGLE!

It can indicate chromosomal defects, most of which would have been ruled out with the NT scan. It can also indicate problems with the heart or kidneys, which are generally ruled out at the scan where the two-vessel cord is discovered.

The other things it can lead to - early arrival, low birthweight... you'll probably find that you get a few extra scans as things progress just to check that the baby is growing ok (Sam turned into a big, boofy baby that they started to worry about being too big for me to deliver). We did, however, get the early arrival thing - but nobody knows for sure whether Sam came early because of his two-vessel cord, because of my severe anemia or because the cord was wrapped around his neck and was beginning to cause distress for him. We did have to have a follow up ultrasound after birth to double check the kidneys and renal system, but it's just a precaution and they rarely find anything with the follow up scans.

I've heard of many babies with two-vessel cords arriving at full-term or post-dates so prematurity is not a given... and those that have come early haven't been excessively early and have had no problems as a result of their early arrival.

BW