Low Umbilical Cord pH at Birth Linked to Death and Brain Damage

-Low umbilical cord blood pH at birth is strongly associated with serious concequences, such as infant death
-Whether of not research to explore whether all babies should have their umbilical cord blood tested is needed or not
- When a baby is deprived of adequate oxygen during labor, the pH levels of blood in the umbilical cord drops.
- Doctors found that low arterial umbilical cord pH did in fact have a strong association with infant death and brain damage

Reflection: In biology class we learned about the miracle of life, specifically birth. But we did not really learn about some of the things that can go wrong during birth. This article talks about one of the complications that can cause brain damage in an infant or even death. Before reading the article I had no idea that if something was wrong with the umbilical cord that bad things could happen to a child. Although I knew that the umbilical cord gives the baby the nutrients it needs to survive it never crossed my mind that something could go wrong.


Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513212431.htm

Picture: http://www.ohiohealth.com/mayo/images/image_popup/fl7_umbilicalcordatbirth.jpg

Citation: BMJ-British Medical Journal. "Low Umbilical Cord pH at Birth Linked to Death and Brain Damage." ScienceDaily 13 May 2010. 17 May 2010 .