The posterior position, also known as the occiput posterior (OP) position or the “sunny side up” position, occurs when the baby is in a head-first, forward facing position. Babies in the posterior position will be face up when they’re delivered. Posterior position can cause labor dystocia and resultant birth injuries. Transcript Fetal descent is impacted by…
Typically, children are born head-first. In the breech presentation, the baby is turned around so that the feet or buttocks enter the birth canal first. When this happens, the baby is at risk for complications such as head trauma, brain bleeds, umbilical cord problems, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral palsy, seizures and birth asphyxia. Video Transcript: Fetal descent is impacted…
Face presentation is a malpresentation of the fetus. It occurs when the baby’s face presents first through the birth canal. Transcript: Face Presentation Fetal descent is impacted by the maternal pelvis. The maternal pelvis is a bony structure, and it forces the baby to make several movements in order for it to fit through and…
Umbilical cord prolapse is an emergency labor and delivery complication that occurs when the umbilical cord presents before or with the baby during delivery. Cord prolapse interferes with the flow of blood, nutrients and oxygen to the baby, so immediate delivery is necessary when the complication occurs. Without timely delivery, a cord prolapse can cause…
Transcript: Umbilical Cord Knots One situation that can cause an injury is a knot in the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord is the source of oxygen for the baby when it’s inside the mom. When there is a knot in the umbilical cord, most times it can be visualized on an ultrasound, and providers know…
An occult cord prolapse occurs when the umbilical cord descends alongside–but not past–the presenting part of the baby. Occult cords can occur with ruptured or intact membranes. They can cause hypoxia, brain injury, and permanent disability in a baby, so medical personnel must address them rapidly and appropriately. Transcript: Occult Cords Another type of cord…
Transcript: Nuchal Cord One type of complication that we see in our reviews is a cord complication. A nuchal cord is when the umbilical cord is actually wrapped around the baby’s neck. It can be a loose cord or it can be a tight cord. It can be once around, twice around, and depending on…
Hydrocephalus Video Transcript: Hi, I’m Rebecca Walsh. I’m a partner at Reiter & Walsh, and I’ve been handling birth injury and medical malpractice cases for a long time. I’m going to talk about something called hydrocephalus. In our brains, we have a number of ventricles, and when the ventricles get too much fluid in them,…
Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) Rebecca Walsh, a partner at ABC Law Centers (Reiter & Walsh, P.C.) discusses the vulnerability of the periventricular region of the brain during the second trimester through 32 weeks gestation. If a baby is born prematurely during that time, they are at a higher risk for a brain injury to the periventricular…
Nuchal Cords, Fetal Oxygen Deprivation and Birth Injury What Are Nuchal Cords? A nuchal cord is a complication that occurs when the umbilical cord wraps around the fetus’ neck. These are common and can occur at any time. In some cases, they do not impact the pregnancy’s outcomes, but in others, they pose a significant…
