Rupture of umbilical cord at birth: an unusual case of acute neonatal haemorrhage

Abstract

Onset of labor was spontaneous as well the membrane rupture with appearance of large amount of clear amniotic fluid. Fetal heart tones remained strong and regular until the delivery that occurred after two hours from the onset of labor and no signs of fetal distress were recorded. The fetal head engaged in the left occiput transverse position and afterwards it rotated easily to right occiput anterior position until the cervix was fully dilatated. One umbilical cord knot was around the fetal neck, however the fetus was delivered with no traction. During the expulsion phase of the labor a complete spontaneous severance of all the three umbilical vessels occurred at fetus side while umbilical cord was regularly attached to the placenta side.