What Does umbilical cord Mean
Before proceeding to know the meaning of the term umbilical cord, it is necessary to discover the etymological origin of the two words that give it its shape:
-Cordón, in the first place, comes from the French "cordon", which in turn derives from the Latin "chorda" and this from the Greek "khorde" which means "bowel cord".
-Umbilical, secondly, we have to state that it comes from the Latin word “umbilicaris”, which can be translated as “relative to the navel”. It is the result of the sum of two clearly delimited components: the noun “umbilicus”, which is synonymous with “navel”, and the suffix “-al”, which is used to indicate “relative to”.
The umbilical cord is the series of vessels that link the womb of a pregnant baby with its mother's placenta , allowing the fetus to nourish until the moment of its birth.
A cord is a rope or a strap. Umbilical , for its part, refers to what is linked to the navel : the scar formed on the belly when the umbilical cord is cut and dried.
The mammals Placental have this cord that makes it possible to feed the growing fetus. The umbilical vein and the umbilical arteries - protected by so-called Wharton's jelly - are the vessels that allow blood and substance exchange that develops between the placenta and the embryo. Once delivery occurs, the umbilical cord must be cut and the umbilicus is generated.
In humans , the umbilical cord usually has a diameter of between one and two centimeters and an extension of just over fifty centimeters. The structure of the cord is helical.
Importantly, the cells found in the umbilical cord blood can contribute to curing various diseases. That is why there are umbilical cord blood banks that are responsible for storing these stem cells.
There are several disorders related to the umbilical cord that can put the life of the baby and the mother at risk . The cord can wrap around the fetus, lack any of the arteries, become knotted or undergo separation of its vessels before reaching the placenta. The cord, on the other hand, can exit before the fetus through the birth canal.
In addition to the above, it is worth knowing another series of curious aspects about the umbilical cord, as they are:
-The blood stem cells of said cord have been used to cure disease since the early 80s
-In Currently there are companies that are responsible for making all kinds of necklaces and bracelets from the umbilical cord. In this way they allow parents to carry with them a memory of the birth of their children.
-When the baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut about 3 or 4 centimeters, approximately, of what is the child's tummy. This process is not painful for the mother or her child because the aforementioned cord does not have nerves.
-As a general rule, the stump of the cord will fall off on its own between 5 and 15 days after the baby is born.