A PREGNANT woman whose umbilical cord was dangling 40 centimeters from her vagina safely delivered twin male babies with the help of medical personnel at Bao’an Maternity and Child Health-care Hospital on Feb. 5, the first day of the Chinese New Year, sznews.com reported Tuesday.

The woman, who had been pregnant for over 30 weeks, was taken to the hospital on an emergency call when her fetal membrane was found ruptured and the umbilical cord had fallen out, according to staff at the center.

Medical personnel at the center explained that a baby would first come out from mother’s womb, followed by the cord and placenta in a normal delivery. When umbilical cord prolapse happens before the presenting part of the baby, blood circulation will be halted. As a result, the baby will be at risk of dying without immediate medical rescue.

Yu Yan, director of the hospital’s obstetrics department, received the woman and decided to perform a cesarean section upon confirming the woman’s status.

It was too late to wait for relatives’ signing, so the center arranged an operation. In just five minutes, two babies came out safe and sound, and the mother was in good health too, the report said.

“We even forgot to bring our ID cards. We would not be able to see our babies if the operation was stalled for a few minutes,” said one of the woman’s relatives.

Yu said that many situations such as excessively long cord, polyhydramnios and abnormal fetal position can cause an umbilical cord prolapse. She suggests that pregnant women with these risks be taken to the hospital immediately once their water has broken. (Wang Jingli)