When discussing contractions and your baby in labor and delivery, it is impossible to have the discussion we will have today without mentioning the electronic fetal heart monitor. The reason for this talk is a conversation we had with a mother who did not have a hospital birth and did not have access to constant electronic fetal heart monitoring.
Contractions, in the context of what is going on with the baby’s readings is critical when assessing the cause of a baby’s HIE brain injury at birth from a medical-legal standpoint. With that said, my focus today will cover late decelerations and how contractions help us track these readings.
What Are Contractions?
Contractions happen when the muscles in the uterus tighten up and then relax. Contractions work to push your baby out of the uterus. The cervix is the opening to the uterus and when mom’s cervix is completely open, labor is fully underway.
Not all contractions mean active labor. Contractions which occur before labor can be classified as false contractions, or Braxton- Hicks contractions. The job of these contractions is to help soften the cervix and prepare for labor.
Contractions And Your Baby In Labor And Delivery
In general, when a contraction happens the baby will react. Because contractions also place pressure on the baby, there should be an impact on the baby. When the contractions happen in a good situation the baby’s heart rate on the fetal heart monitor should drop down to essentially meet the contraction. As the contraction subsides, the baby’s heart rate should move back to the normal baseline if this was the previous baseline.
Where problems can occur is when the contraction happens, and the baby’s heart rate does not match the contraction but drops after the contraction. The name for this “late meet up” is called a late deceleration. Late decelerations can suggest decreased blood flow to the placenta and a possible impending fetal acidemia.
Late decelerations can be extremely dangerous for a baby if they are not corrected and are allowed to keep going. HIE, at its basic level is a reduction or cut-off of oxygenated blood which can lead to a brain injury. As a birth injury lawyer, when reviewing whether medical malpractice caused the HIE brain injury at birth, these are the types of issues which must be reviewed from a medical-legal point of view.
To speak with me further regarding your baby’s HIE brain injury at birth you can give me a call at my info below. It does not cost you any money to talk with me about your baby’s story.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
9701 Apollo Dr. Suite 100
Largo, Maryland 20774
301-850-4832
1-833-4 BABY HELP