New Dad Discovers Baby Was Born With Rare ‘True Knot’ in Umbilical Cord

The birth of a baby in Texas took an expected twist after doctors realized a rarely seen phenomenon had occurred.

New dad Nic Gutierrez took to Reddit earlier this month, posting under the handle u/-coolcoolcool- to reveal what was discovered just moments after his son’s arrival—a “true knot” in the umbilical cord.

At the time, Gutierrez struggled to process the discovery. “Honestly, we were surprised at his hair color more than anything,” Gutierrez told Newsweek. “But of course we were slightly confused when the doctor pointed out the knot. Such a rush of emotions…’Is that bad? Oh, he’s here! Is he ok?! He’s crying, great!'”

A rare occurrence, according to a research paper published last year in the journal Cureus, true knots occur in around 0.3 to 1.2 percent of pregnancies. They are something that happen naturally as a result of the fetus moving around.

Though they can lead to complications during pregnancy, such instances are rare, with most babies born healthy and happy. Gutierrez was happy to report that his son is “doing great” since his slightly unusual arrival.

“The doctor said she had never seen a ‘true knot’ that close to the belly button before,” he said. “The umbilical cord was wrapped around his shoulder and through his legs too.”

Gutierrez said that despite this, the pregnancy had been a largely straightforward one, right up until just before his wife was due to give birth. “In the final trimester the baby was head down per the norm. But about week 38 he flipped. My wife had to do some exercises at home to get him to flip back head down,” he said. “It’s possible the knot formed when he was flipping.”

The birth, meanwhile, went off largely without a hitch, save for one brief moment that quickly passed. “His heart rate fell a bit when he was coming and the nurses had my wife move and change positions until his heart rate was back to normal,” he said.

Looking back on the experience now, the birth and the discovery of the “true knot” feel like something of a blur to the happy new dad. “All that happened so fast,” Gutierrez said. “We didn’t really get an explanation from the doctor other than she had never seen one that close to the belly button.”

It was only later that he was able to reflect on the discovery of the “true knot” and decided to share pictures of it to Reddit.

The incredible image of his son and the knot sparked other parents to share similar stories of umbilical cord and knots, all, thankfully, with positive outcomes.

“My son had a knot, but also had it wrapped around his neck three times. Took all the slack out every time I pushed and his heart rate dropped lower each time, so they had to do an emergency C-section,” one Reddit user wrote. “Baby is now a healthy 14 year old smart***, so all’s well that ends well.”

A second commented: “Mine too. He was a rowdy fetus. True knot and twice around the neck.! He’s healthy and happy, but had to be put on ice after they revived him (hypothermic treatment) to be safe. Worst week of my life, but also the best, as he turned out to be fine. Medical science is a wonder.”

A third added: “Our OBGYN freaked out when my daughter was born and screamed for a camera immediately. I thought something was severely wrong, but no, she had 2 true knots in her cord. In his 50+ years he’d never witnessed it before. We plan on putting her in scouts for her knot tying ability!”

At the time of writing, the picture has been upvoted over 12,000 times. “I just thought it was really interesting and something that Reddit would enjoy too,” Gutierrez said.

The family are now happily back at home and adjusting to life with a newborn.