During delivery, a mother is usually minutes away from holding the baby that she carried in her womb for nine months in her arms for the first time. While it is a time of excitement and wonder, it can also be a time full of nerves and fears. Many mothers worry about the possible complications they may face during delivery. Learning about the possible delivery complications and how physicians and midwives handle them can put an expectant mother at ease during an extremely emotional time.
Fetal Distress
Fetal distress occurs when the baby does not receive enough oxygen during delivery, according to the website What to Expect. A number of factors such as maternal illness, infection or a compressed umbilical cord may cause fetal distress. In some cases, the baby may experience distress because the mother is lying in a position that puts pressure on her major blood vessels and deprives her baby of the oxygen it needs to survive. Babies in distress will have a decrease in their heart rate, a change in movement or the passage of their first stool while still inside the womb. Fetal distress is usually detected by a healthcare provider that alleviates the problem by providing the mother-to-be with oxygen, increasing her level of intravenous fluids or instructing her to turn to her left side. Approximately 1 in 100 women will experience fetal distress during delivery, says What to Expect.
Abnormal Delivery Position
An abnormal delivery position is a common delivery complication, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto, California. While the normal position for the baby during birth is head to feet, facing the mother's back, in some cases, the baby is not in the right position making delivery more difficult through the birth canal. An abnormal delivery position occurs when the first thing that appears is the buttocks, face or shoulders of the baby. Babies usually correct themselves if they are in an abnormal position prior to delivery, but if for some reason they do not correct themselves, then a healthcare provider may use forceps, a vacuum extractor or a cesarean delivery method to deliver the baby.
Shoulder Dystocia
A common complication that pregnant women may face in the delivery room is shoulder dystocia, according to the website Baby Zone. Shoulder dystocia occurs when one of the baby's shoulders lodges against his mother's pubic bone causing him to become stuck in the birth canal during delivery. Most of the time the mother can push out the baby's head, but then cannot push out the rest of the body which prolongs delivery and creates fetal distress. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library states that shoulder dystocia causes the birth canal to press against the baby's chest and umbilical cord preventing oxygen from circulating through his blood. Shoulder dystocia proves common in large babies especially when the baby's head has not fully descended down the birth canal towards the vaginal opening. When this type of complication occurs, a healthcare provider may try various techniques such as an episiotomy, an incision that widens the opening of the vagina or a cesarean section in order to free the baby's shoulder and progress with the delivery.
Prolapsed or Compressed Umbilical Cord
A prolapsed or compressed umbilical cord is a complication that can occur during delivery, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When the umbilical cord becomes compressed, the cord forms a knot around the baby's neck cutting off his air supply. The knot can form as the baby moves and kicks within the mother's womb. A mother may experience a prolapsed umbilical cord when the cord drops through the cervix into the vaginal opening before the baby enters the birth canal. When this occurs, the baby may become tangled or trapped within the cord causing the baby to lose oxygen during delivery. If a healthcare provider detects a prolapsed cord, she will move the baby away from the cord or deliver the baby by cesarean section in order to minimize oxygen loss. An umbilical cord complication occurs once in every 300 births, says the Cleveland Clinic.
