A woman who goes into labor assumes that the process will happen without any major issues. Once the woman meets the labor requirements for a delivery in the hospital, she’ll go into the labor unit for an evaluation. She may not leave that unit until after the baby is born.
Throughout the labor and delivery process, the woman and her unborn baby should be monitored. When this doesn’t occur, they can both face significant medical challenges. Some ways the monitoring can take place are through watching for fetal distress indications and how the baby responds to contractions. This is often accomplished by fetal monitoring.
Complications that may be missed
As the health care team is monitoring the labor, they’re looking for signs that point to something amiss. For example, if a baby’s heartbeat is dropping when the mother has a contraction or pushes, it may be a sign that the baby isn’t tolerating the stress of labor, which could lead to a surgical delivery because there’s a chance of the baby suffering from a brain injury due to lack of oxygen.
There are also issues that can plague the woman during labor and delivery. These include things like signs of unusual bleeding or other conditions. These can include things like uterine rupture, preeclampsia that’s transitioning to eclampsia or excessive bleeding.
Legal and long-term consequences
In some cases, failure to monitor constitutes medical negligence. If a reasonable standard of care isn’t met, families may face not only medical consequences but also legal recourse. The aftermath of these injuries can include years of rehabilitation, special education needs and significant emotional and financial stress on families. Those victims may opt to pursue a compensation claim.