New York Fetal Distress Lawyers

Fetal distress (also called "non-reassuring fetal status") is a catchall description of signs that an unborn baby is unwell, usually because he or she isn't getting enough oxygen. At their most serious, signs of fetal distress call for immediate birth or other serious medical intervention. Without prompt treatment, the baby can be at serious risk of death or brain damage.

Signs of Fetal Distress

The main way that doctors watch for fetal distress is by monitoring the baby's heart rate during labor and birth. Increases, decreases and abnormal variations in the baby's heart rate are all signs of fetal distress. Doctors may also diagnose fetal distress if:

• the mother reports that the baby has stopped moving.
• the baby doesn't respond to changes in the mother's position.
• amniotic fluid contains meconium (fetal bowel movements).
• a test shows a high level of acid in the baby's blood.

Any of these can be signs that the baby is having trouble with oxygen flow to the brain. That's a very serious problem, because starving the brain of oxygen can lead to brain damage if it's not addressed quickly. Babies with fetal distress are at risk for a spectrum of serious birth injuries, including cerebral palsy and serious developmental disorders.

Unaddressed Fetal Distress Can Cause Irreversible Injuries

Fortunately, doctors understand many of the conditions that can lead to or cause fetal distress. Parents and their medical teams should be on the alert for problems after detecting any of the following:

• An infection of the mother during pregnancy, which can lead to breathing problems for the baby.
• High blood pressure, abnormally high weight gain or diabetes (including gestational diabetes) for the mother.
• Multiple births.
• Post-term labor.
• Abnormal presentation (pre-birth position in the uterus) for the baby.
• Shoulder dystocia, in which the baby's shoulder is caught behind the mother's pubic bone during delivery.
• Umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck (nuchal cord).
• Umbilical cord comes out first, cutting off the baby's blood supply.
• Premature closure of a blood shunt used only in utero (ductus arteriosus).
• Premature separation of the placenta from the uterus (placental abruption).

Medical professionals attending a birth should be prepared to take quick action if they find these or other signs of fetal distress. In serious cases, they should help the mother give birth immediately, through chemical induction of labor or caesarian section. In less serious cases, doctors may be able to help by giving the mother oxygen or intravenous fluids, changing her position or physically turning the baby in utero. Failure to take these and other steps could lead to serious and irreversible brain damage to the baby, causing developmental problems, permanent mental or physical disabilities, years of expensive care and great distress for the family.

New York Birth Injury Lawyers

Babies born with brain damage or other permanent birth injuries start life with the deck stacked against them. Instead of a normal, healthy childhood, the child's family can expect years of medical treatments, special schooling and other special needs. In addition to devastating the family and its hopes for the child, this can also be extremely expensive. If your child was born with brain damage or another serious birth injury, and you believe your medical team did not adequately address signs of fetal distress, your family has the right to hold them responsible for the results of their carelessness by filing a birth injury claim.

Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals owe their patients a reasonable standard of care. When they fail to meet accepted standards of care, and a baby is incurably injured as a result, that baby is a victim of medical malpractice. Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro's team of New York fetal distress injury attorneys can help. Our birth injury lawyers have won tens of millions for babies and families who were seriously hurt by negligent decisions from doctors, nurses, hospitals and other medical professionals. That includes $3.9 million for a baby who was permanently brain-damaged after an ob/gyn failed to perform an emergency caesarian section.

If your family has suffered a serious birth injury after signs of fetal distress, call Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro today for a free consultation.

Contact Us

1-212-ACCIDENT
(1-212-222-4336)
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2750
New York, NY 10170
Voice: (212) 986-7353 • Fax: (212) 953-4308
E-Mail: wrs@wrslaw.com

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420 Lexington Avenue
Suite 2750
New York, NY 10170

Telephone: 212-986-7353
Fax: 212-953-4308
E-mail: wrs@wrslaw.com