What Is Marginal Cord Insertion? Lauren Bushnell Lane Shares Her Diagnosis

The day after country singer Chris Lane and wife Lauren Bushnell Lane announced their pregnancy, Bushnell Lane took to her Instagram stories to share that she has been diagnosed with marginal cord insertion.

“The first 13 weeks-ish [of pregnancy] were way worse this time around. I just feel like I was way sicker, I threw up a lot more often, hence the hospital visit. Thankfully now I am feeling so much better,” Bushnell Lane recounted. “I was recently diagnosed with something called marginal cord insertion. I was incredibly stressed out when my doctor told me that, but I’m trying to stay optimistic.”

According to The Birth Injury Help Center, marginal umbilical cord insertion occurs when the cord attaches on the side of the placenta instead of in the middle at the central placental mass. Bushnell Lane goes on to explain what her doctor told her, saying, “When the cord is normally connected at the center of the placenta, the baby is able to get the most amount of nutrients and it’s the easiest way for the blood to flow to the baby. So the concern is that when [the umbilical cord] attaches to the edge, especially later in pregnancy, it can sometimes cause the baby to not get all the nutrients it needs."

Marginal insertion is fairly uncommon, occurring in 9 in 100 pregnancies. The Bachelor alumna shared that for her the diagnosis will just mean additional monitoring. “I need to go every four weeks for an ultrasound,” said Bushnell Lane before assuring fans that as of now, her baby is “very healthy, measuring great, measuring a little bit big if anything.”

According to People, the couple expects their new addition to arrive in October 2022. This will be their second child and will make their son Dutton a big brother.

The news of baby number two comes as a surprise not only to fans but also to Lane and Bushnell Lane. “To be quite honest, I’ve never been more shocked in my entire life, because this was very much an unexpected surprise,” Bushnell Lane said. “We had planned on having at least two kids, so we’re very thankful that it was able to happen for us, even if it wasn’t necessarily on our exact timing. We’re both just incredibly excited.”

In a photo posted to Instagram, the former flight attendant shared her elation that Dutton, who just turned one today, would soon be a big brother. Telling People, “It might be challenging, having two under 2 for a little while there, but I’m just so excited for Dutton to have a sibling. When he sees other babies and other kids, he just does not take his eyes off them. I know he’s going to be so happy and so excited and such a good big brother. He’s very friendly and very social. He just likes people in general so it’s the more the merrier with Dutton.”

Bushnell Lane candidly shared her experience with morning sickness this time around. “I didn’t have any symptoms but then around the six-and-a-half-week mark, it really hit me like a ton of bricks. The sickness has been a little bit more challenging this time around, just physically,” said Bushnell Lane.

She added, “Unfortunately, I was so sick for a couple of days in a row that I actually had to go to the hospital and get some fluids. And so it has been a little rougher this time around. I feel like I was sicker a little bit longer this time around, which was hard, especially chasing around an 8-, 9-month-old at the time while Chris was on tour. We’re very excited now that the shock phase and then the sickness phase that came right after that are over and we can move past those parts.”

As far as Dad goes, Lane is ready to ace newborn parenting the second time around. “I’m just excited to not stress over the small stuff I’d never done before that I had to figure out. Having to figure out how to change a diaper and all those random little things…I feel like a pro at changing the diaper now. You overthink and stress out over it—and now it’s a piece of cake,” said Lane.

Our best to the expectant parents!