Healthcare providers should closely monitor expectant mothers in the delivery room to prevent potential risks. For instance, they should closely monitor fetal heart rate (FHR) during labor. The frequency of tests can depend on the risk of the pregnancy – for instance, low-risk pregnancies can be checked every 30 minutes, whereas high-risk pregnancies can be monitored every 15 minutes.
Other factors that should be monitored are uterine contractions and uterine pressure.
If a physician fails to monitor your pregnancy during labor, you or your baby may sustain an injury. Here is how this can happen:
Your baby may not get enough oxygen
When a doctor closely monitors your baby’s FHR, they can quickly identify an abnormal rate, which may indicate your baby is not getting enough oxygen. Accordingly, they can solve it quickly by:
- Changing your position
- Giving you supplemental oxygen
- Administering intravenous fluids to treat maternal hypotension
- Slow your contractions by discontinuing oxytocin or giving you medications to relax the uterus
If these solutions fail to improve the FHR, the doctor may need to deliver the baby immediately by C-section.
If a baby’s heart rate drops during labor when a doctor is not closely monitoring a pregnancy, the issue may go unnoticed until it’s too late. This can lead to fetal distress, which can cause brain injury or cerebral palsy and, in some cases, a stillbirth.
You may have a prolonged labor
A doctor should be in a position to spot expectant mothers who have been in labor for prolonged periods and, in turn, take steps to prevent risks, such as low oxygen levels for the baby, uterine infection and postpartum hemorrhage.
If you are not closely monitored during labor, you may have prolonged labor without anyone noticing.
These two are a few examples of why physicians should closely monitor pregnancies during labor. If you experienced failure to monitor and sustain an injury, legal guidance can help you determine the way forward.
