Having a baby is normally a joyous time. Parents are usually expecting the labor and delivery to be relatively smooth, and the medical staff to properly monitor the baby and mother and take care of any potential issues as they arise.

According to MedicalNewsToday.com, electronic fetal monitoring is used in more than 85 percent of the 4 million live births in the U.S. every year. The technology, which became popular after it was introduced in the 1970s, is still what is most often used today but may be in need of some modifications to avoid fetal monitoring mistakes.

However, according to a recent report by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the use of fetal monitoring does not always produce positive outcomes. Some of the adverse circumstances sometimes caused by the use of current fetal monitoring are higher incidence of caesarean births and need for forceps or vacuum during vaginal delivery. This can result in birth injury if not done properly.

Also, use of the monitoring devices has failed to make doctors more aware of lack of oxygen to the fetus, as it was originally supposed to do. This kind of monitoring is important because when oxygen to the fetus is cut off, it can cause chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy, infant brain damage and even death. The report points out that even though the monitoring is used, CP rates remain almost unchanged since World War II. New guidelines require a more structured method of fetal monitoring, with particularly close monitoring for woman at high risk of complications like those with preeclampsia (hypertension in pregnancy), type 1 diabetes, or possible fetal growth restriction (fetus unable to achieve potential size).

As explained in an article on Obgyn.net, the new guidelines are expected to help medical staff meet some certain goals and avoid birth trauma. One such revision was to clarify the terms of the monitoring, which have until now, remained quite widely up for interpretation, causing room for error. It is up to the medical staff to make the determinations that are safest for the baby and the mother.

The majority of births go quite smoothly and result in a happy, healthy baby and jubilant new parents. Sometimes, though, errors occur and the baby sustains some brain damage. If this type of birth injury has happened to your child you should speak with an attorney. We are experienced in birth injury cases and can provide you with a free assessment of your case.