When you prepare to give birth in a New York hospital, you may put your complete trust in your baby’s delivery doctor and his or her ability to deliver your child.. Yet, certain conditions or actions a delivery doctor may or may not take have the potential to lead to serious complications and health problems for your baby. Birth asphyxia occurs when your baby fails to receive enough oxygen during the birthing process.
Per Medical News Today, birth asphyxia, or neonatal asphyxia or perinatal asphyxia, may be a life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment. Many different factors may raise the risk of your child experiencing birth asphyxia. A long, complex delivery is one. A doctor’s failure to give you enough oxygen during delivery is another. The umbilical cord wrapping around your infant during delivery may also cause this condition. Problems may also arise if your delivery doctor fails to recognize birth asphyxia and therefore does not take appropriate care or precautions during delivery. When birth asphyxia does occur, it may lead to the following short- and long-term complications.
Short-term complications
Short-term complications associated with birth asphyxia include high blood pressure, respiratory distress and blood-clotting issues. Acidosis, which occurs when an excess of acid builds up in your blood, may also occur, and kidney problems are also possible.
Long-term complications
There are many long-term effects associated with neonatal asphyxiation. Some might include hyperactivity, attention deficits and autism spectrum disorder. Kids who experience birth asphyxia may also have lower intelligence quotient scores or become more likely to receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia or another type of psychotic disorder.
In especially severe cases, birth asphyxia may also lead to epilepsy, sight or hearing impairments, cerebral palsy or intellectual disabilities.
