What Is the Umbilical Cord Made From?
The umbilical cord develops from, and contains, remnants of the yolk sac and allantois. The umbilical cord at full term is usually about 22″ or 56 cm long and about 2 cm in diameter. The umbilical cord is made of Wharton’s jelly, not ordinary skin and connective tissue. There are no nerves, so cutting it is not painful. There is ordinarily no significant loss of either infant or maternal blood while cutting the cord. The cord contains two arteries which carry deoxygenated blood – from the fetus back to you – and one vein that carries oxygenated blood – from you to the fetus.
