Signs and Symptoms
Generally it is preferable to describe specific signs in lieu of declaring fetal distress that include:
- Decreased movement felt by the mother
- Meconium in the amniotic fluid ("meconium stained liquor")
- Non-reassuring patterns seen on cardiotocography:
- increased or decreased fetal heart rate (tachycardia and bradycardia), especially during and after a contraction
- decreased variability in the fetal heart rate
- late decelerations
- Biochemical signs, assessed by collecting a small sample of baby's blood from a scalp prick through the open cervix in labor
- fetal metabolic acidosis
- elevated fetal blood lactate levels (from fetal scalp blood testing) indicating the baby has a lactic acidosis
Some of these signs are more reliable predictors of fetal compromise than others. For example, cardiotocography can give high false positive rates, even when interpreted by highly experienced medical personnel. Metabolic acidosis is a more reliable predictor, but is not always available.
Read more about this topic: Fetal Distress
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