Philadelphia Fetal Distress Injury Attorneys

During or just before labor, a fetus may experience fatigue and an irregularly slow heartbeat. These may be signs of a condition known as "fetal distress." Although this injury is relatively uncommon, the consequence of the damage can last a lifetime.

During the late stages of pregnancy, your healthcare provider should check for fetal distress by tracking your baby's heartbeat to ensure that the baseline's normal, that decelerations and variability are normal, and that there are no signs of hypoxia. Mothers who go into labor late, who take certain opiate painkillers, like oxycodone and oxytocin, or who go through an unusually difficult labor may be at particular risk for giving birth to an infant with fetal distress injury.

Birthing physicians should be on the lookout for signs of fetal distress, such as:

• the infant's heart rate is abnormal
• the amniotic fluid is green colored
• the baby's heart rate dips to an abnormally low level with late decelerations
• fetal hypoxia
• acidic byproducts in the newborn’s blood plasma

Typically, in a complicated delivery situation, a delivering physician will often order a caesarian section or an assisted delivery via a forceps instrument or extraction vacuum.

It is possible to bring legal action against a doctor, nurse, institution or healthcare provider’s insurance for your baby's fetal distress injury. Research the facts here at pa-birthinjurylawfirm.com, or connect to 888-684-7192 to discuss your case with the trusted Pennsylvania legal advisors here at Cherry Fieger & Marciano, LLP. We can help you make sense of your options and give you the resources and support you need to move forward.