Families often first hear the term HIE in the hours or days after their baby is born and they then learn what is HIE in babies. It usually happens quickly, often in the NICU, and it can come as a shock, especially after a pregnancy that appeared normal from start to finish.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, is a brain injury caused by reduced oxygen and reduced blood flow to a baby’s brain. This injury can occur before birth, during labor, or around the time of delivery. It is not diagnosed based on one symptom alone. Doctors look at the baby’s condition at birth, lab results, imaging, and neurologic findings to understand what occurred.
What Is HIE In Babies
In many of the cases I discuss, the pregnancy itself was uneventful. Mom attended her appointments. Prenatal imaging looked reassuring. The baby grew and developed on schedule. When labor begins, there are no complaints of decreased fetal movement, and the fetal heart tracing initially shows a Category 1 pattern.
As labor progresses, however, problems can arise. Communication failures, improper monitoring, and delayed responses to worsening fetal heart tracings can place a baby under increasing stress. In cases that move forward, there are often multiple issues rather than a single event. These include improper use of Pitocin, failure to recognize excessive uterine activity, and delays in escalating care when fetal heart patterns deteriorate.
How Labor and Delivery Can Change the Outcome
Objective medical data often helps clarify what happened. Umbilical cord blood gases may show a very low pH and an elevated base deficit shortly after birth. MRI imaging can also reveal patterns of injury. Some babies show partial prolonged patterns, others show acute profound patterns, and some show mixed patterns, suggesting a combination of ongoing stress and an acute event.
Families may notice warning signs immediately after delivery. A baby may need resuscitation or oxygen support. Skin color may appear pale, blue, or gray. Seizures can occur shortly after birth. These findings raise concern for a brain injury and often lead to further evaluation and treatment.
Signs That Raise Concern After Birth
For many parents, learning what is HIE in babies is the first step toward understanding what their child experienced. HIE can be devastating, especially in severe cases, but outcomes vary. Each baby’s experience is fact specific, and resilience and response to treatment differ from child to child.
To learn more about your baby’s HIE brain injury at birth or subsequent cerebral palsy diagnosis you can reach out to me at my contact information which is below. Remember that it does not cost you any money to reach out to me initially to talk 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
