Understanding Fetal Distress & Birth Injuries

When it comes to the birth of your baby, you want everything to go as smoothly as possible. Sometimes a responsive nurse, a safe birthing facility, and a knowledgeable doctor are all you need to have a healthy, successful birth. Unfortunately, if the facility or medical staff are negligent in any way, it could cause serious distress to your child, potentially leading to a life-altering birth injury. Fetal distress, also called hypoxia or anoxia, is one of the most common types of birth injuries and it can occur before, during, or after birth. When the baby’s brain is deprived of oxygen, fetal distress can set in and may cause serious, lasting birth injuries as a result.

How is Fetal Distress Caused?

There are several different ways in which fetal distress can be triggered. The mother might have a preexisting health condition, making it more difficult for her body to get oxygen to the baby. Or, in other scenarios, the mother’s position might be preventing oxygen transfer from the placenta to the baby, or compressing the umbilical cord. In any case, it is the responsibility of the nurses and doctors to identify any potential signs of fetal distress and respond accordingly. If they fail to take proper steps to alleviate distress, it could cause serious damage.

Identifying Fetal Distress

Medical professionals should be adequately trained to identify signs of fetal distress and should know how to respond accordingly.

Common symptoms of distress include:

• Excessive weight gain in the mother
• Irregular fetal heart rate
• Intense or abnormal cramping
• High maternal blood pressure
• Lack of fetal movement
• Vaginal bleeding

Fetal Distress Injuries

If left untreated, fetal distress can have very serious consequences. In worse-case scenarios, it can lead to organ failure in the baby, as well as stillbirth. It might also lead to cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects the baby’s brain and muscle control. The child could also suffer other types of brain injuries due to oxygen deprivation, and could even experience bone fractures.

What Next?

If your child was harmed due to fetal distress injuries caused by another person’s errors or negligence, you may have a personal injury case. We understand how difficult it is to deal with the consequences of a difficult or traumatic birth, and we want to help you make sense of the situation and seek justice for your baby. Our firm can work with you to determine who may be responsible for the injury and build a solid birth injury case in your favor.

Contact Goodman Acker P.C. today to get discuss your case with our Detroit personal injury attorneys.