How do I make the apartment secure? | Strangulation in babies and children

How do I make the apartment secure?

It is advisable to take a few precautions to reduce the risk of strangulation. In principle, cables or power lines should be placed in such a way that they are not accessible to children. Also cords from blinds or curtains should be hung high enough so that children cannot get hold of them.

With babies and small children it is also advisable to take a closer look at the crib. Cords or tapes should also be removed from the crib. It is also advisable not to extend the chain of the pacifier.

The maximum length of the pacifier chain is 22 centimeters. If the child at risk has bigger siblings, it is also necessary to check the toys of the bigger siblings. Sometimes the toys of older siblings (e.g. skipping ropes or similar) can be dangerous for younger siblings.

Check whether jewelry chains can be opened by pulling them slightly. If the child gets caught on the chain, it is necessary that the chain opens and the child does not choke. The same applies to key chains that can also be hung around the neck. Finally, you should make sure that certain rooms, such as a summer house with dangerous objects, can only be entered by the child under supervision.

What is umbilical cord strangulation?

Umbilical cord strangulation refers to the process when the unborn baby in the uterus wraps the umbilical cord around its neck. Babies sometimes move quite a lot in the mother’s stomach. This can cause the umbilical cord to wrap itself unintentionally around the baby’s neck.

Sometimes the umbilical cord wraps itself several times around the baby’s neck. Usually, however, this does not pose a problem, since the umbilical cord consists of a special connective tissue. This so-called “gelatinous” connective tissue is particularly flexible and protects against constriction of the vessels of the umbilical cord.

In addition, the baby does not yet breathe through its own mouth and nose. In the mother’s womb, the baby is supplied with oxygen-rich blood via the umbilical cord. For this reason, it is not as bad as with a born baby when the neck is wrapped.

In rare cases, however, the strangulation is so severe that the baby dies during pregnancy.For the avoidance of doubt, a so-called color Doppler ultrasound can be performed by ultrasound specialists. With this procedure the umbilical cord can be visualized particularly well in ultrasound. This also makes it possible to see if and how often the umbilical cord has been wrapped around the baby’s neck.