Imagine being pregnant. Imagine the anticipation you are feeling as you wait for the birth of your baby. Imagine all the care you have taken all these months - eating the right foods, not drinking, not smoking, and doing everything possible to make sure you have a healthy baby. May you have picked a name for your baby. Maybe you have painted your baby's room. Or maybe you have decided to wait to discover whether you will have a baby boy or a baby girl. And all you ask is that your baby be health because, like any caring parent, you want the very best future for your baby.
And so you have followed your prenatal care plan. You have gone to all the doctor visits. You have had all the tests. And now you put yourself and your unborn baby in the hands of the doctors and nurses who will take both of you through the birthing process. These doctors and nurses are supposed to have the knowledge and the experience to protect your health and the health of your unborn baby through labor and delivery.
Then the unthinkable happens. They commit an error that permanently and severely harms your baby. One of the most common sources of injuries to babies arises when doctors and nurses do not recognize or take immediate action in the face of signs of fetal distress. In plain terms, fatal distress refers to a complication that places the baby's health at risk. There are many complications that can result in fetal distress. Consider the following complications:
1. Placental Abruption
A placental abruption occurs when the lining of the placenta tears away from the uterus. This tearing can cause the mother to experience abdominal and lower back pain. It can also results in visible vaginal bleeding. The bleeding can cause a change in the mother's blood pressure. The bleeding happens when the blood vessels within the placental start to bleed. The affected blood vessels are involved in the transfer of nutrients and oxygen to the baby and the abruption can thus cut off this much needed supply.
2. Infections
An infection can travel up through the mother's cervix, penetrate the placenta and invade the amniotic fluid. Infections can cause changes in the placenta severely diminish the placenta's ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the baby. The presence of fever and a change in blood pressure are possible signs that the mother has an infection. The progression of the infection can cause changes in the baby's heart rate.
3. Prolapsed umbilical cord
A prolapsed umbilical cord is a situation in which the cord is displaced during labor. This prevents the unborn baby from receiving the nutrients and oxygen normally carried through the cord. The condition is often accompanied by a drop in the mother's blood pressure.
Birth injury attorneys see far too many cases in which doctors and nurses have missed or ignored signs that one of the above has occurred and so have not immediately taken appropriate action that could have prevented the death or lifelong disability of the baby.
Another sign that a potential life-threatening complication has occurred is the presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid. When thick meconium (the first fetal movement of the fetus) shows up this could indicate the presence of meconium aspiration syndrome. This is a condition where the unborn baby takes in the meconium into his or her lungs. This can partially or even fully block the baby's airway. If the situation is sufficiently severe the baby will be in fetal distress.
Given that the health of a baby in fetal distress is at such high risk doctors and nurses use a device called the fetal heart rate monitor to follow the unborn baby's heart rate. A heart rate in the range of 110-160 bpm (beats per minute) is generally considered to be normal. If the baby's heart rate drops below 100 bpm (fetal brachychardia) or increases beyond 180 bpm (fetal tachycardia) this is suggestive that the baby is in distress. The distress can be due to different factors, for example, a lack of oxygen (a condition called fetal hypoxia) or may be due to an infection. The heart rate may also experience decelerations (the repeated slowing of the heart rate). Certain types of decelerations are also highly suggestive of fetal hypoxia.
Again, attorneys who handle birth injury cases continue to see the tragic results that occur when doctors and nurses do not take note or immediately act upon signs that the baby is in fetal distress. When fetal distress is present, the baby needs to be delivered as quickly as possible. Many doctors agree that an emergency Cesarean-section may be the most appropriate course of action under such circumstances. Waiting too long can result in a stillbirth or, if the baby survives, permanent disabilities that can include blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, seizures, the inability to stand, to walk, or to talk, the need for a feeding tube, and the need for lifelong care.
If the unimaginable happened to your family and your baby suffered a fetal distress injury that you suspect was due to a mistake by a doctor or a nurse should consult with a birth injury attorney to determine whether to pursue a medical malpractice claim. This may be the only way to ensure that the baby's future is protected and that it will be possible to finance the baby's future medical expenses and maintain the baby's quality of life.
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