Generalities:

Fetal distress is due to a poor oxygen exchange between the mother and the fetus, it can occur from the third month of pregnancy or at the time of birth.

The pair is applied to the baby or child to help heal the after-effects of fetal distress.

Causes:

The causes may be due to disorders in the mother's body such as hiccups or arterial hypertension, hypoxia (lack of oxygen), acidosis, diabetes, smoking, alcoholism. They may also be due to malfunctioning of the placenta and / or the umbilical cord (compression). Fetal hemolytic anemia due to incompatibility with Rh, or infections (sepsis) or other agents may occur on the fetus side.

Also a tumor or malformation of the uterus can interfere with the flow of blood to the fetus, a situation that can be seen from the third month of pregnancy.

Signs:

The main signs that allow the doctor to identify this condition:

• Increased fetal heart rate (or decrease)
• Lack of movement of the fetus
• Appearance of meconium (content of the digestive tract of the fetus) in the amniotic fluid
• Fetal acidosis

Consequences:

The consequences for the baby can be::

• Reversibles:The damage to the baby is minimal, health is reestablished without leaving sequels..
• Irreversibles: Cell damage is irreversible and damaged tissues remain, the most serious being those that affect the nervous system of the fetus.
• Fetal or neonatal death. The fetus can die before birth or within a few hours of birth.