The hours of labor are filled with stress and overwhelming concern for your baby’s safety. You trust your medical team to monitor your child carefully during this critical time. Unfortunately, emergencies sometimes happen inside the womb.
Fetal distress is a serious emergency when a baby is not getting enough oxygen or nutrients during labor. Medical professionals must recognize these dangerous signs immediately and take action to prevent birth injuries. Here are five critical warning signs of fetal distress.
1. “Concerning” changes in fetal heart rate (FHR)
Monitoring a baby’s heart rate is the most critical tool during labor. In a normal tracing, the FHR stays within a healthy range and varies slightly, showing the baby is active and coping well. When distress occurs, the monitoring strips reveal concerning changes.
A major sign of distress is a pattern known as late decelerations, in which the baby’s heart rate slows after a contraction has peaked. A late deceleration is a classic sign that the baby is not receiving adequate blood flow or oxygen from the placenta, which can indicate a serious problem that requires immediate attention and intervention.
2. Nonreassuring fetal heart rate pattern
Other abnormal heart rate patterns also signal danger. Your baby’s heart rate may remain dangerously low, called fetal bradycardia, or become excessively fast, known as fetal tachycardia.
Another serious sign is a lack of variability, meaning the rate does not exhibit the normal slight up-and-down fluctuations. A lack of variability can indicate the baby is becoming exhausted or acidotic.
3. Presence of meconium in amniotic fluid
Before birth, a baby’s first stool is called meconium. Sometimes, when a baby is distressed, they pass this greenish-black material into the amniotic fluid.
If the baby breathes this contaminated fluid into their lungs, it is called meconium aspiration, which can cause severe breathing problems, infection and brain injury after birth.
4. Decreased fetal movement or response
Your medical team monitors your baby electronically, but your own observation matters too. A sharp decrease in fetal movement or a lack of expected response to stimulation is a serious warning sign that must prompt immediate and thorough electronic monitoring and assessment by the medical team to confirm or rule out fetal distress. If you notice a significant change in your baby’s activity, tell your nurse or doctor immediately. Your instincts as a parent are vitally important.
5. Abnormal scalp pH or acidosis
To get a definitive sign of distress, a medical provider can take a small blood sample from the baby’s scalp. The test measures the blood’s acidity, or pH level. A low or dropping pH, called acidosis, is a direct sign that the baby is not receiving enough oxygen and is in critical distress. The medical team should quickly prepare for an emergency delivery when this result occurs.
When distress leads to injury: The role of negligence
Fetal distress is not always preventable, but the medical team’s response is always crucial. The key issues in a potential malpractice case are whether the medical team failed to recognize the red flags, and take appropriate, timely action (breach of duty), and whether that failure directly caused the resulting injury (causation).
Failure to recognize and respond to these complications can lead to devastating, lifelong birth injuries. These injuries include cerebral palsy, permanent brain damage, and other severe neurological conditions.
For families in Kentucky facing the long-term impact of a birth injury, securing a thorough review of their case immediately is critical, as medical malpractice claims are subject to a strict one-year statute of limitations that is generally tolled until the child reaches age 18 (giving them until their 19th birthday to file).
Securing skilled legal representation is essential to assess the care provided, determine whether medical negligence was involved, and ensure the compensation necessary for the child’s future care. Contact our firm to request a confidential, free initial consultation regarding the care received during labor and delivery.