When labor and delivery don’t go as planned, every decision made by the medical team can have a lasting effect on your baby’s health. For mothers whose babies have been diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), understanding the choices made during labor is crucial to determining what went wrong and if your baby’s injury could have been prevented.
The Importance of Continuous Monitoring
Continuous fetal monitoring is one of the most important tools used during labor, particularly in high-risk pregnancies or when induction medications like Pitocin are involved. By tracking your baby’s heart rate, medical staff can detect signs of fetal distress early and take steps to improve oxygen flow. These warning signs are often the first indication that your baby is struggling, making monitoring essential to preventing conditions like HIE.
Conservative Interventions: When Labor Takes a Turn
When a baby shows signs of distress, conservative interventions are often the first response. Simple actions like repositioning the mother can improve blood flow to the baby. Administering IV fluids or providing oxygen to the mother are also common strategies to stabilize the baby’s condition. Additionally, adjusting or stopping medications like Pitocin can help reduce the stress on your baby if contractions are too strong or too frequent.
However, how labor decisions impact your baby’s HIE diagnosis depends on whether these interventions were used effectively and in a timely manner. If the distress continues despite these measures, a C-section may be necessary to prevent further harm. Delaying this decision can significantly increase the risk of permanent injuries.
When Conservative Measures Aren’t Enough
Even with the best conservative care, there are situations where a timely C-section is critical. How labor decisions impact your baby’s HIE diagnosis often comes down to whether doctors acted quickly when interventions weren’t working. If delays occurred, you have every right to question whether different decisions could have protected your baby.
As a parent, seeking answers is not only natural, it’s essential. Understanding what happened during labor is the first step in advocating for your child’s future. To contact me about your baby’s HIE brain injury at birth you can reach me at my contact information below.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
9701 Apollo Dr. Suite 100
Largo, Maryland 20774
301-850-4832
1-833-4 BABY HELP
