Fetal distress is not a medical condition itself, but rather a sign that something is wrong. Indicators that the fetus is in a state of distress should be treated as a medical emergency, with an immediate response from the mother’s medical team. Violations of the medical standard of care in the face of fetal distress can lead to serious birth injuries and deaths. Learn about your options from an experienced birth injury lawyer in Minneapolis today.
What Is Fetal Distress?
Fetal distress is a broad term that describes an unborn fetus exhibiting signs that something is amiss. It is used to describe any change or abnormality in fetal heart rate, which typically points to the fetus not getting enough oxygen. Fetal distress is most common in the late stages of pregnancy and during labor and delivery.
What Can Cause Fetal Distress?
A state of fetal distress can occur for many reasons. It points to an underlying issue that is interfering with the amount of oxygen that is reaching the baby. Potential causes include umbilical cord prolapse, placental abruption, eclampsia and preeclampsia, dystocia, anemia, abnormal infant positioning, and large infant size. Prolonged and complicated labors come with an increased risk of fetal distress.
Harm Caused By Fetal Distress
If a baby does not receive enough oxygen before or during the birthing process, this can cause a range of serious health problems, complications and injuries.
Common types of birth injuries connected to signs of fetal distress include:
- Birth asphyxia
- Hypoxic brain injuries due to a lack of oxygen
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Permanent brain damage
- Developmental delays
- Seizures or epilepsy
- Cerebral palsy
- Nerve damage
- Neonatal death or stillbirth
How fetal distress affects an infant depends on the specific circumstances, such as the amount of time the lack of oxygen lasts.
What Are the Signs of Fetal Distress?
Fetal distress is marked by certain irregular vital signs, such as changes to fetal heart rate or rhythm, abnormal amniotic fluid levels, and maternal high blood pressure. The medical standard of care requires doctors to regularly monitor vital signs as part of a mother’s pregnancy care. The failure to do so – and to react appropriately to signs of fetal distress – is a form of medical malpractice.
What Is the Appropriate Reaction to Fetal Distress?
Fetal distress should be treated as an emergency that requires immediate intervention from the medical team. The presiding physician or OBGYN should recommend solutions such as an assisted vaginal delivery or C-section. Assisted delivery may include the use of forceps or a vacuum. The goal is to expedite the birthing process so that oxygen flow can be restored to the infant as soon as possible.
When to Contact a Birth Injury Lawyer
If the birth of your child came with complications, frightening emergencies, signs of fetal distress and possible medical malpractice resulting in birth injuries, contact an attorney near you right away. One or more parties may be financially responsible for causing harm to you or your child through medical malpractice.
A lawyer can conduct a comprehensive investigation into your fetal distress case to search for signs of medical negligence. If there is evidence that a doctor, midwife or nurse failed to respond appropriately to fetal distress signals, you may be entitled to financial compensation for related birth injuries.
At Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC, we fight for the rights of parents in birth injury cases of all types. We have over 40 years of experience and have recovered more than $200 million for our clients.