There are several conditions during pregnancy and labor that can bring on fetal distress. The most common is when the baby is not receiving adequate amounts of oxygen via the placenta. Other conditions that can trigger fetal distress include:
Fetal distress is a medical complication during labor and childbirth. An infant in fetal distress will have a heart rate greater than 160 or less than 120 beats per minute between contractions. There may or may not be the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid. Additional signs of fetal distress include:
During pregnancy, an obstetrician may perform a nonstress test with an electronic fetal monitor to measure the baby’s heart rate while the mother is sitting or lying down. Or they may choose to perform a test called a biophysical profile in which an ultrasound measures fetal movement, muscle, breathing movement, and amniotic fluid volume.
Healthcare providers carefully monitor a baby’s heart rate during childbirth to detect fetal distress early on. The two most common ways to measure this is with an electronic fetal heart rate monitor or a doppler device.
Because fetal distress signals a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain, it must be corrected promptly as it can cause permanent brain damage. According to Cerebral Palsy Guidance, research indicates a definite connection between fetal distress (asphyxia) and an increased risk of developing cerebral palsy.
A study published by the National Library of Medicine suggests the complete elimination of fetal distress would reduce the prevalence of cerebral palsy in newborns by more than 15%. This perfect obstetric management of fetal distress could reduce the risk of cerebral palsy by 9% in full term babies or 6% overall.
While a pregnant person or medical provider cannot always anticipate fetal distress, there are steps one can take to attempt to prevent it and decrease risk:
There a several strategies and medical interventions a healthcare provider might employ to alleviate fetal distress:
Fetal distress is a serious condition with long-ranging effects if it’s not treated promptly and properly. A prolonged lack of oxygen can lead to brain injury, cerebral palsy, seizures, multiple organ problems, breathing problems, learning disabilities, social challenges, cognitive and behavioral issues, or even stillbirth.
If your child experienced fetal distress during your pregnancy or delivery and you feel your condition was medically mismanaged, you may be entitled to compensation. Long-term care, medications, treatments, and surgeries will be a costly, emotionally draining journey for your family for the rest of your child’s life. You should not have to add the worry of expensive treatments onto the trauma of experiencing a preventable lifelong injury. Our highly experienced birth injury attorneys will assess your case at no charge.
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