# Question: how dangerous is a knot in the cord?



## Dov'sMom (Jan 24, 2007)

One of my best friends just had her baby #4 at 41 weeks. None of her other kids got as far as 39 weeks, and she was going crazy the last two weeks trying to convince the baby to come out -- accupressure, strenuous lifting and bending, long walks, all sorts of foods people recommended, etc. (No castor oil...) A few times these things would start contractions but they always petered out very quickly.

At 41 weeks, her doctor induced her. Her birth was pretty quick, but they told her that the baby's heartrate decelerated dramatically a few times and they kept her on oxygen for the baby's sake. The baby was born blue, with the cord wrapped twice and a tight knot. He breathed after 45 seconds and appears fine.

My friend's doctor told her that the decelerations were due to the knot in the cord being pulled tight by labor, and if she had gone into labor unattended, the way she had wanted to, her baby could have been seriously damaged by oxygen deprivation. Is that true? I birth in a hospital, but so far I have stayed home most of the labor. Friends are now telling me that see, heartrate monitoring is very important and look what can happen if you stay home. I don't plan to change my pattern for this next baby, but I am curious about your opinions.


----------



## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

From what I understand, a knot in the cord can indeed be dangerous if no one is listening to the heart at all. It essentially cut of the babies oxygen. I don't know how common it is though. And whether problems tend to be later in labour rather than earlier.


----------



## Tizzy (Mar 16, 2007)

I think the statistics are something like 1 in 4 babies are born with the cord around the neck?

This does not usually prove to be an issue if the baby is born without interventions. However, inductions do bring a baby before they (or the mother) is ready - phsyically and mentally.
It is possible that all those "natural" induction techniques shifted the baby (and cord) around.
Or perhaps it was a good thing that she had all of those interventions and assistance, and the Dr. did actually save the baby's life. It's difficult to say.


----------



## feminist~mama (Mar 6, 2002)

Nuchal cords are very common and generally are not an issue.

A true knot in the cord can be a very big deal and absolutely lead to fetal death. They are pretty rare though, something like 1% of pregnancies. Interventions won't cause a knot in the cord- the baby does that very early in pregnancy just by moving around.

Honestly, I think your friend's doctor was right in this case. If the labor/ baby moving down into the pelvis pulled the knot tight, then the baby was indeed being deprived of oxygen and the mama having supplemental oxygen was really needed. I'm a huge homebirth advocate, but it's not without risks sometimes.


----------



## MsBlack (Apr 10, 2007)

I disagree--knots in cords are rarely a problem. Because of the cord's construction, the properties of the tissues it is made of, it is simply very difficult for a cord knot to pull so tight that it impacts circulation. I think that doc was going on theory, trying to back up the decision to induce. And from what you say about baby taking 45 seconds to breathe, being born blue....this is really not so uncommon and I would not consider these things a problem necessarily. Many peacefully born babies don't breathe significantly in the first minute.

Dramatic deceleration of a baby's heart occurs for a variety of reasons and it's just not always easy to figure it out. But pitocin induction itself can cause hypoxia in babies--and really, had she labored naturally instead, that mama's labor might well have been slow and gentle enough NOT to cause any issues at all for the cord/baby (if it actually was a potential issue). It may well have been the speed of the labor, a speed brought on by pitocin, that caused any problems. Luckily, this baby was not apparently harmed.

As for always having one's babies at a certain time--well, very few women ALWAYS have their babies in the same week of pregnancy. She may have been off on her conception date by a week or more; this particular baby may have needed longer to cook. She was accustomed to having her babies by a certain time, sure--me too, and my one 'postdates' pregnancy nearly drove me mad! But it did not indicate a problem, just being later than usual or being less sensitive than she thought she should be to natural nudging techniques.

It is so aggravating when OBs say these things with such certainty--AS IF we could really know, when in fact it is seldom so cut and dried!

I'm just glad this mama and her baby were safe, in the end--it could have turned out much differently. NOT because of the knot itself and any high risk having a knot implies (because it doesn't)--but because of the PITOCIN, which is a dangerous drug to women and babies in so many ways, and IMO was a greater danger to this baby than to most others. (Yes, sometimes it's benefits outweigh it's risks--but I sure would not call this an example).

Just to share another pov on this topic


----------



## beckyand3littlemonsters (Sep 16, 2006)

not really sure of dangerous a knot in the cord would be it does sound scarey but idk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tizzy* 
I think the statistics are something like 1 in 4 babies are born with the cord around the neck?
.

i think i disprove these statisticks 3 of my 4 were born with their cords round their necks, all born at home though


----------



## feminist~mama (Mar 6, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MsBlack* 
... because of the PITOCIN, which is a dangerous drug to women and babies in so many ways, and IMO was a greater danger to this baby than to most others. (Yes, sometimes it's benefits outweigh it's risks--but I sure would not call this an example).

Just to share another pov on this topic









I didn't see where the OP shared what type of induction her friend had- did I miss it? It could have easily been cervidil that kicked her into labor, or a foley bulb, or AROM, or maybe even cytotec.

That being said, Pitocin is absolutely over-used and abused by OBs and CNMs alike and really does cause problems where none would have existed sometimes.


----------



## sncmom (Apr 15, 2009)

"I disagree--knots in cords are rarely a problem. Because of the cord's construction, the properties of the tissues it is made of, it is simply very difficult for a cord knot to pull so tight that it impacts circulation." said MsBlack

I must respectfully disagree with the above statement. My DD2 has a bad brain injury and cerebral palsy as the result of a true knot in her umbilical cord. And she pulled it tight enough to cause the problem prior to labor. I think the OB was absolutely right and the OP's friend should thank her lucky stars that she's not in my shoes right now! Thank goodness her baby seems ok, with mine we knew right away that there was a problem.


----------



## JessicaS (Nov 18, 2001)

Knots are *rarely* a problem but it certainly does happen.

I had a c/s due to a true knot in a short cord.

Umbilical cord accidents lead to more deaths than SIDS, one just doesn't hear about it as much.









I don't think it is a reason not to homebirth. A well trained midwife knows what to watch for as far as that sort of thing goes.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MsBlack* 
I'm just glad this mama and her baby were safe, in the end--it could have turned out much differently. NOT because of the knot itself and any high risk having a knot implies (because it doesn't)--but because of the PITOCIN, which is a dangerous drug to women and babies in so many ways, and IMO was a greater danger to this baby than to most others. (Yes, sometimes it's benefits outweigh it's risks--but I sure would not call this an example).


This is incorrect. Knots can be fatal by themselves.


----------



## GoestoShow (Jul 15, 2009)

.


----------



## JessicaS (Nov 18, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GoestoShow* 
A knot in the cord is different from a nuchal cord. A nuchal cord is when the cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. A knot _in_ the cord is when a knot is tied, well, in the cord --- like a knot in laces. A nuchal cord is pretty common. A true knot in the cord is not common --- about as common as a uterine rupture in VBAC cases, 1% chance and usually occurs with long umbilical cords.


Right, knots are not the same as wrapped or nuchal cords. They are rare and not usually a problem unless they get pulled taut, which does happen.

This is a true knot

http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/...L/PLAC010.html


----------



## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

The decels may have been due to the knot in the cord but there isn't really any way to say for sure.

As far as the baby having severe oxygen deprivation if born at home, there is really no basis for that. There is no good evidence to show that giving the mother oxgen in labour is beneficial and it may even be harmful. A lot more research is needed in this area.

And I'm sure any midwife would have been able to manage a baby who was a bit slow to breathe up if he needed a hand to get started.

Sounds like a typical "thank goodness we were here!" scenario to me.


----------



## Natalie's Mama (Dec 28, 2008)

We actually just talked to my midwife about this. I'll copy paste the email below.

"The cord around the neck thing, _- 30% of babies are born with cord around the neck. Quite common.
Many ways to handle this, after birth of head, slip it off , if tight- slide down body as baby is coming out or clamp and cut before body comes, or use the jack/knife delivery.. Did this one - with my delivery of my own grandchild. Just push baby's face into Mom's thigh and jackknife the baby out, then unwind cord, hand screaming baby to Mom.
Sometimes if cord compression becomes detected, a change of Mom's position will help. Or if during pushing stage, a quick birth, or knee chest to lessen compression,
A true knot in a cord, is as my husband said , not a problem, as blood flows through it. A cord has 3 vessels in it, 1 artery, 2 veins, these are surrounded by Wharton's Jelly, just like jello. This jello keeps from compressing the vessels. So it actually is pretty hard to do. Think of a small tube inside jello and you put pressure on the jello. Nature does keep marvelous care of it all. Also a true knot has to be formed when the baby is very little, The baby has to swim in and around and tie the knot. So this means that your baby has had it for most of the pregnancy before birth and all is o.k. It floats in the water , another reason to avoid breaking the bag of waters , which most hospitals do very early in labor."

Also she mentioned in another email that often true knots are discovered after a healthy baby is born and while they can cause major problems they are nothing to keep you up at night over.


----------



## sncmom (Apr 15, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Natalie's Mama* 
A true knot in a cord, is as my husband said , not a problem, as blood flows through it. A cord has 3 vessels in it, 1 artery, 2 veins, these are surrounded by Wharton's Jelly, just like jello. This jello keeps from compressing the vessels. So it actually is pretty hard to do. Think of a small tube inside jello and you put pressure on the jello. Nature does keep marvelous care of it all. Also a true knot has to be formed when the baby is very little, The baby has to swim in and around and tie the knot. So this means that your baby has had it for most of the pregnancy before birth and all is o.k. It floats in the water , another reason to avoid breaking the bag of waters , which most hospitals do very early in labor."

Also she mentioned in another email that often true knots are discovered after a healthy baby is born and while they can cause major problems they are nothing to keep you up at night over.

Again, I MUST disagree with these types of statements. My daughter has cerebral palsy because of a true knot. When she was delivered by c/s, my MW exclaimed that the cord had less blood on the baby side of the knot. It is thoroughly untrue that a knot in the cord "is not a problem". My daughter's injury had nothing to do with anyone breaking my waters. She pulled the knot tight all by herself when I was 38 weeks. Heart rate monitoring and a c/s saved her life. I still think the OP's friend was extremely lucky.


----------



## GoestoShow (Jul 15, 2009)

.


----------



## somanyjoys (Mar 14, 2006)

My babe had decels throughout labor that intensified as labor progressed. And baby wasn't descending. I had a c-section, and then the ob saw the true knot. They are rare. Some babies are fine. Some die. Some have issues like CP.

With my next birth, though I attempted a VBAC, I did consent to fetal monitoring, just for that reassurance.


----------



## feminist~mama (Mar 6, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GoestoShow* 
I seriously question this. If only 1% of babies have a true knot in their cord, how could it be "often" discovered after delivery? I also have to wonder if your midwife is mistaking true knots for vascular torsion --- it is not uncommon that even very experienced practitioners will call a false knot a true knot.


I read this comment that it's _generally_ found after birth because it's not seen on US and there's no other way to know about it before birth- not that it's found often, see what I mean?


----------



## JessicaS (Nov 18, 2001)

Yeah, they can't really spot it until after the baby is born. I don't think they meant they are common.









The Op's question though was whether or not what she was saying *could* happen and what she was describing is certainly possible.

Someone shouldn't lose sleep over it just as they shouldn't lose sleep over worrying about rupturing or prolapse or any other complication. It isn't a reason not to homebirth as any trained midwife would know something was going wrong.

With my dd I had a completely uneventful pregnancy until I was pushing, I don't think it would be an issue with you staying home longer.


----------



## Jenivere (Aug 4, 2003)

While they are not common they certainly can be dangerous. My daughter born back in February had one http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v5...t=IMG_7038.jpg http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v5...t=IMG_7044.jpg Thankfully she had a nice long chord and was born quickly, the knot was fairly loose. All four of my children have had the cord around their necks but she was my first to have a knot.


----------



## moonglowmama (Jan 23, 2002)

Wow- I have never before heard that a true knot could be dangerous. My daughter was born with 2 true knots- we commented that she must have been quite the acrobat early on.

I wonder if nutrition comes into play, since better nutrition is linked to more wharton's jelly, which is the protective layer to the cord.


----------



## mwherbs (Oct 24, 2004)

I have seen several true knots and they haven't been a problem- i do think that they can be a problem sometimes I think it depends on several factors like length of cord and how tight it gets pulled as well as how much warton's jelly is present stuff like that - I think of cords as very vital things for the most part it is like trying to tie a knot in a pressurized water hose it is really hard to get that hose to completely tighten to the point that it shuts off the water flow-same is true for most umbilical cords of course not all there are rare things that do happen--

as for deep decelerations could be just plain old cord compression or could be how a particular baby responded to the stimulation of being born- and the nearer to delivery a baby gets the more over all compression a kido gets that alone will cause decels in babys - a little blue and slow to start- anything from distress to just stuned


----------



## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Natalie's Mama* 
We actually just talked to my midwife about this. I'll copy paste the email below.

"... A cord has 3 vessels in it, 1 artery, 2 veins, these are surrounded by Wharton's Jelly,..."

I'm sorry to be pedantic but the normal umbilical cord actually contains 2 arteries and 1 vein.

I realise that this is irrelevant to the the thread topic but I like accuracy


----------



## Kidzaplenty (Jun 17, 2006)




----------



## MsBlack (Apr 10, 2007)

First--sorry this is so long, but I was off forum all day and many responses came in. I am addressing various people all at once now, instead of one at a time. Feel free to scan for the point that interests you most. Not that I usually have an excuse for being verbose









Yes, Katelove, it's AVA--artery, vein, artery in the cord. But in an umbilical cord, arteries act like veins and veins act like arteries....well, in a manner of speaking. It took me quite awhile to keep that straight (thanks to my nurse friend Ehtan for "AVA") ; the confusion comes about (for me anyway) because in anyone already born, all of your blood vessels are inside your skin, where arteries act exactly like arteries (carrying blood from heart to lungs and body) and veins act exactly like veins (carrying blood back toward the heart). But with pregnancy we have that 2-in-1 circulatory system that includes some 'external' circulation via the cord and placenta...and the placenta acts somewhat like a heart.... that is how 'arteries act like veins' and so forth. Now that I've made it all so much more confusing







I'll move on.

YES, absolutely, I should not have said 'pitocin' as if I knew for a fact that it was a pitocin induction. My bad. I guessed pitocin, given various elements of the story and my knowledge of induction. However, it doesn't matter if it was pit, cytotec or cervadil....chemical inductions frequently cause longer, stronger contrax with less rest in between--less resting time overall, and less complete/effective rest for mom/baby. This is very hard to control with inductions. We don't know, of course, but I still think it is *probably* accurate to name induction as a factor influencing the speed of a labor. I do however carefully add that we *don't* really know this for a fact--and I am sorry if I imply that I am absolutely certain that induction caused a faster and 'rougher' (on baby) labor. I just think that this is an important thing to consider when deciding anything about a birth. Few docs really admit that induction itself plays a part in birth problems; most would prefer to believe that a fast labor was *necessarily* a good thing in a case like this but in fact, a fast labor *may well* have contributed to a stressful birth for that baby.

And I *really* need to go buy a new power cord for my old laptop....which isn't working due to a bad power cord...and which also has all my great links! Not so long back, someone posted an article written by a doc about umbilical cords, wharton's jelly, all that--and I want to post the link but I can't at the moment.

In any event, first the construction of the cord and it's safety features are explained (wharton's jelly, etc). But this doc goes on to say that in cases where it APPEARS that a true knot....or, say, cord compression in the presence of low amniotic fluid....where it APPEARS that some form of 'cord accident' has caused death, that it is actually much more likely that there was some other, underlying issue that prevented sufficient development of wharton's jelly...or other 'cord development' problems that prevented a baby's cord from acting as it should to protect baby in utero from cord accidents.

To lose a baby is so very sad, to birth a baby with CP or any issue that seems to be related to hypoxia/brain damage--these things are so terrible to bear. In no way do I want to minimize that or seem to be careless of anyone's feelings. And yet we really don't know if 'cord knot' or other 'cord accident' is really the true cause of such sad things. Things are simply NOT what they appear to be in so many cases in this life....few places is this so true as with birth, where most of what occurs is, well, hidden from view (as someone pointed out, even w/ultrasound we don't always find cord knots, just to name one small thing that is 'invisible'). And-- despite what 'med science' would have us to believe--pregnancy and birth are still far from well-understood scientifically.

But we do love our certainties, and certain professions (mm, medicine??? for one) definitely like their certainties quite a bit--well, their livelihoods and the amount of power/influence docs have in this world IS after all, dependent upon our believing their certainties! Just remember that Modern Obstetrics has gone through quite a few periods of various 'certainties' that have proven damaging or deadly to moms and babies. And yes, in each and every one of those periods of false certainty, the docs were every bit as certain that they had 'science' on their side, and every bit as given to pronouncing their certainty to clients.

In any event, it needs to be understood that (as mwherbs so wisely has said in the past) 'cord accident' is a wastebasket diagnosis. In fact, upwards of 70% of stillbirths show no verifiable cause--and most of those 70% of deaths are put down to 'cord accident' (knot, prolapse, tight wrap), with or without any solid evidence to back that up--sometimes without even a visually discernable issue (you can see a knot....you might not see a prolapse at all, ever, which means you can guess 'occult prolapse' as a COD without even needing any evidence). You can SEE a knot, you can SEE that it looks tight, that perhaps there is less blood flow on baby's side of the knot than there should be--and so we say 'cord accident', naming the knot. Well, maybe there was an accident--but it was not the knot--it was events well prior to the knot's formation that prevented the cord from being able to withstand a knot, as most do.

And look people--sure, this is a sensitive topic and I am taking an unpopular stand with perhaps less diplomacy than some might wish for. But still--don't put words in my mouth. I never said that a cord knot was NEVER a problem--I'm not even saying that now in spite of all the elucidating I've tried to provide on why knots and nuchal cords usually can't be blamed for adverse outcomes (or for 'nearly adverse outcomes' such as the doc implied in the OP's story). But I *am* saying that I simply do not believe that doc's pronouncement. S/he DOES NOT KNOW--but does want patients to believe that h/she does know.

I mean seriously, what's an OB to do--take a look at that knot and say 'Sheesh, I'm awful sorry I induced you--looks like your body was taking this whole labor thing very slowly on purpose, to PREVENT issues related to a cord knot. And I'm just so glad that having induced you so unwisely, you and baby are fine now anyway!'

I think not.


----------



## Triciabn (Nov 6, 2005)

HA! My last Unnasssited birth was a baby with a very true tight knot in the cord. I took the pics and it was published in New Nativity...so plenty of folks saw the cord and the knot.
He was and continues to be healthy and robust. I remember telling my husband (After we noticed the knot)...."Wow I bet they would freak over something like this in the hospital". Then we had a good laugh, because everything was perfect ...including the baby. I looked it up afterwards and it is something like 1% of babies are born with a true knot.
Talking with a homebirth midwife friend of mine; she said she had a client that has had TWO babies born with a true knot in the cord. Both were no big deal. Another midwife friend of mine who serves mostly Amish and Mennonite communities said she sees it from time to time in homebirths but it has never caused any issues.
Doctors just like to act like they are in a constant state of "Thank God I was there".
Tricia


----------



## GoBecGo (May 14, 2008)

I have a friend who got to 43+1 before her boy came out. At 39 weeks he was breech, at 40 he was ceph. but OP, he got OA at 41 weeks but by 42 he was OP again. Mama was goingcrazy waiting but the very experienced midwife said "let's just see what happens" and tried to keep mama busy and up beat. When he was born his cord was shortish and had 2 complete knots, and the midwife pointed to the knot and said "THERE'S your reason for waiting, i bet all those late term acrobatics were untangling that cord for labour!". She says she has often seen ladies who are used to birthing at 39-40 get to 41+ when there's a cord problem like this because babies are smart and WILL try to adjust their position if they sense there are going to be issues with the descent or birth.

I wouldn't be worrying about true knots personally. The risk of being augmented or interfered with for no good reason, and all the myriad of risks associated with that, in the hospital is WAY higher than the 1% overall chance of a ture knot, or the increased chance of foetal damage or death because of it. I have to say, a fourfold increase in fetal demise is still not a massively high chance of fetal demise in general terms.


----------



## Pandme (Jan 31, 2007)

I have a friend whose baby died at 39 weeks because of a true knot in the cord. No induction, no nothing...one day he was moving and the next he was not.

I am surprised to read that they are often no big deal. I guess she was one of the ones for whom it was a very, very big deal.


----------



## bluewatergirl (Jul 26, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *feminist~mama* 
Nuchal cords are very common and generally are not an issue.

A true knot in the cord can be a very big deal and absolutely lead to fetal death. They are pretty rare though, something like 1% of pregnancies. Interventions won't cause a knot in the cord- the baby does that very early in pregnancy just by moving around.

Honestly, I think your friend's doctor was right in this case. If the labor/ baby moving down into the pelvis pulled the knot tight, then the baby was indeed being deprived of oxygen and the mama having supplemental oxygen was really needed. I'm a huge homebirth advocate, but it's not without risks sometimes.











And - although nuchal cords and cords wrapped around the baby's body or extremeties are, in general, pretty common and *usually* not a problem,
they *can* be . . . and monitoring during late pregnancy and labor could catch a problem which otherwise might be detected too late.
In this, I speak from experience.


----------



## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MsBlack* 
Yes, Katelove, it's AVA--artery, vein, artery in the cord. But in an umbilical cord, arteries act like veins and veins act like arteries....well, in a manner of speaking. It took me quite awhile to keep that straight (thanks to my nurse friend Ehtan for "AVA") ; the confusion comes about (for me anyway) because in anyone already born, all of your blood vessels are inside your skin, where arteries act exactly like arteries (carrying blood from heart to lungs and body) and veins act exactly like veins (carrying blood back toward the heart). But with pregnancy we have that 2-in-1 circulatory system that includes some 'external' circulation via the cord and placenta...and the placenta acts somewhat like a heart.... that is how 'arteries act like veins' and so forth. Now that I've made it all so much more confusing







I'll move on.

You're right in what you say but, in other ways, they behave in the same way as all other arteries and veins. Which, I guess is how they were originally identified as arteries and veins


----------



## wobit (May 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *feminist~mama* 
and the mama having supplemental oxygen was really needed. I'm a huge homebirth advocate, but it's not without risks sometimes.

Lots of other good comments in this thread - just wanted to point out that I had both intermittent fetal monitoring and available O2 for my homebirth. There's a difference between going unassisted and having a trained midwife with her standard kit there. They absolutely checked for early vs. late decels in response to contractions.

Otherwise, everything I would want to add has been said: maternal supplemental O2 doesn't necessarily fix what's wrong during a cord accident, Wharton's jelly is often robustly protective, the few true knots I've seen in the hospital did not happen to affect fetal heart rate or Apgar though they can certainly be life-threatening if the Wharton's jelly compresses, and ultimately stillbirth happens and sometimes babies die or have serious complications no matter where they are, and it's sad.


----------



## kathan12904 (Jun 23, 2006)

Regardless of the specific circumstances, birth location, or rarity of a true knot, if the knot was there and pulled so tight that it was cutting off circulation, then the amount of oxygen getting into mom's bloodstream isn't the problem, its the oxygen getting from mom to baby. Supplementing her oxygen when there is a block present keeping it from getting from her lungs to babies really can't fix that problem. In a case of a true knot that is pulled to tight for circulation, I can't imagine a better time for a life saving cesarean birth. Since the knot in the original story didn't become an issue until well into labor, I'd agree with the diagnosis of hypoxia from augmented contractions rather than blaming the knot. Pitocin can certainly cause this, and cytotec could cause even worse problems. I'd also agree that any homebirth midwife would have the tools and training to spot the problem and safely transfer to the hospital.


----------



## MandyB (Oct 9, 2006)

My last birth, and 4th child, was a homebirth and he had a true double knot in his cord! The midwives were amazed that they had NEVER seen anything like it and he was just fine at birth and now. The ONLY thing that made a difference with this birth was that because of the knots, his cord had sort of a bungee cord effect and pushing him out was a little more difficult because I could feel him being sucked back up me between contractions! Here's a picture of the knot from his cord. He had knotted it, and then looped back through again!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...r/DSC_9807.jpg


----------



## Kidzaplenty (Jun 17, 2006)

OK, I know that knot is a dangerous knot, but it does look so cool!









I can see Baby "swimming" around, and looping himself through the cord as a game!


----------



## wobit (May 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MandyB* 
Here's a picture of the knot from his cord.

That's a wild picture - thanks for sharing it! That knot is what a sailor would call a "figure 8 knot", typically used to create a bump that will stop a rope from running through a block or up into the mast.


----------



## MandyB (Oct 9, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wobit* 
That's a wild picture - thanks for sharing it! That knot is what a sailor would call a "figure 8 knot", typically used to create a bump that will stop a rope from running through a block or up into the mast.

Very cool! Thanks for the picture!


----------

