The lifeline of the growing fetus (foetus)

Attaches to the umbilicus (duh) in the fetus and to the foetal surface of the placenta in the uterus. Usually about 50cm long and about 2cm in diameter. It contains two umbilical arteries and one umbilical vein, buried within Wharton's jelly. For the potential embryologists out there, it also has remnants of the yolk sac and allantois.

The umbilical cord is a pretty amazing structure. In the developing fetus, it goes from the placenta (the afterbirth) of the mother, through the baby's navel and into the fetal liver and heart. This is how oxygen and nutrients are conveyed into the growing fetus.

If the baby's blood pressure gets too high, small blood vessles around the umbilical cord expand and cause the abdominal wall to spread. This then allows two arteries that run from the fetal aorta by way of the bladder to conduct excess blood back to the placenta. All of these blood vessels are usually still open at the time of birth and tubes may be inserted into them to reach the circulatory system or the heart for measuring blood pressure or obtaining blood samples.

Another passage leaves the bladder and goes out the navel, allowing the developing fetus to expel urine. This eventually shrivels into a ligament connecting the bladder to the abdominal wall after birth. In some cases, this passage may still be open at the time of birth, allowing the baby to expel urine through an open navel.

Even in adults, the lumen of the umbilical vein does not completely disappear and sometimes, it may be opened in order to inject chemotherapeutic drugs.
A lot of people use that term to describe a connection between a mother and her grown children

Like when my mother whome I only live with during breaks and who doesn't pay for my school or food or anything calls me at 3 am and tells me to go home (not her house, my house mind that).

It' silly because I don't live with her and haven't in a while, but she still tries to act like I have a curfew.

And that's when I say "Cut the umbilical cord please"

Log in or registerto write something here or to contact authors.