Women who are in labor expect that their medical team at the hospital or delivery center will do everything possible to keep them and their baby safe. Addressing safety concerns, for example, involves monitoring the mother and baby throughout the process.
When monitoring isn’t being handled as it should be, mother and baby can suffer great harm. As such, it’s critical to understand how important monitoring is for both patients.
Why is monitoring the mother important?
During labor and delivery, monitoring a mother can help to manage her pain and to detect complications as early as possible. There are several ways that a woman should be monitored. This includes monitoring blood pressure to detect signs of preeclampsia. This is a serious medical condition that can endanger both mother and child. Regular checks on the mother’s heart rate and temperature can also indicate infections or other labor-related issues.
Why is monitoring the baby important?
The baby’s health during labor is monitored primarily through fetal heart rate monitoring. Abnormalities in the heart rate can be early indicators of fetal distress, such as oxygen deprivation. Depending on the circumstances, this monitoring can be done via external Doppler radar or internal monitoring. Sudden changes in heart rate, particularly during contractions, can prompt immediate medical interventions to ensure the baby’s safety.
Why is timely intervention critical?
Effective monitoring allows healthcare providers to make timely decisions that prevent complications during labor and delivery. For example, a prolonged labor can increase the risk of infection, fetal distress and delivery complications. These can necessitate interventions such as labor augmentation or surgical delivery.
When monitoring isn’t handled properly, or vital clues are missed because of negligence, mother or baby may suffer a serious injury. This may lead them to grounds upon which the affected family can file a medical malpractice lawsuit. In doing so, they may be able to recover the costs of the the additional care and other expenses related to the injuries, and to see justice done overall.