Placental Abruption -- Cause of CP
The placenta is the connection through which a baby receives all it needs to survive in the uterus, including oxygen. Prior to a child's birth the placenta needs to stay attached to the uterus. After the child is born the placenta is passed out of the uterus.
When a placenta abrupts, it basically tears away from the uterus wall. This is usually an urgent situation that needs immediate attention. The reason is because the baby will now not be receiving as much oxygen as he or she was.
Some of the symptoms that accompany this are pain and vaginal bleeding. In addition, the doctor should be looking to see whether the baby is in any distress. This is done with fetal heart strips (FHS). These basically measure the child's heart rate and how the rate responds to pressures within the uterus.
How does this relate to malpractice or negligence?
-- Was the abruption discovered?
-- Was it discovered quickly enough?
-- Were the correct procedures used to protect the baby?
Those are the questions we want answered when investigating a placenta abruption.
