Watching a baby’s oxygen levels and HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy) is an important topic for discussion, especially as a follow up to the parents who had questions following our holistic birthing plan video. In that video we gave advise as to some of the topics of research if a family was looking to decide whether a holistic birthing plan was right for them.
In that video I spoke about taking the time to understand what contingencies were in place if problems occurred, especially on the liability front. Pulled from that discussion offline was essentially, how do doctors and nurses monitor a baby’s well-being during labor and delivery. For my context, and the focus of my law firm, another way of presenting this issue is, watching a baby’s oxygen levels and HIE.
Watching A Baby’s Oxygen Levels & HIE
For the most part, gone are the times of doctors and nurses having no idea as to who well a baby is tolerating a vaginal delivery. With the invention of certain tools and equipment, doctors and nurses can get a gauge as to your baby’s condition during labor and delivery, for the most part. As I have mentioned before, one of these tools is the electronic fetal heart monitor. If you as a mom have given birth in a hospital in recent years, more than likely some form of electronic monitoring has occurred.
The monitor can capture information like the baby’s heart rate, and the mother’s contraction patterns. In addition to the above information, the monitor can assess things like variability and acceleration and deceleration patterns. All this type of information, and more, can paint a picture as to how well labor and delivery is progressing.
Where problems can occur during some holistic birthing experiences is when these types of tools like the electronic fetal heart monitor are not deployed during labor and delivery. This can lead to much more “guesswork” as to what is really occurring during labor and delivery. In some instances, the baby may be in a condition called fetal distress and there is no way to really know it is occurring. The brain injury HIE can happen when there is a reduction in blood and oxygen getting to the baby, which can lead to a brain injury. A baby that is in fetal distress, especially for a considerable amount of time has a greater risk of an HIE injury.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
1-833-4 BABY HELP
