Owing to oxygen deficiency in the fetus, oxygen starvation occurs, which has the name - hypoxia. Fetal hypoxia can occur due to multiple pregnancies, overstimulation, the threat of abortion, diabetes mellitus in a pregnant woman, the discovery of bleeding, somatic and infectious diseases suffered in the first trimester, smoking and other types of drug addiction in a pregnant woman.
Antenatal (fetal) fetal hypoxia - occurs during pregnancy, and asphyxia that occurs during labor is called fetal intrapartum hypoxia. If the etiology of fetal hypoxia depends mainly on the mother, fetal hypoxia during labor may result from unskilled activities of the medical staff in the management of labor. Hypoxia, which develops until the end of the early neonatal period, is called perinatal hypoxia.
Hypoxia of the fetus and asphyxia of the newborn
The severity of the effects of fetal hypoxia and newborn asphyxia is assessed on the Apgar scale:
- In asphyxia of moderate severity in the first minute of life, the child's condition is estimated at four to six points,
and by the fifth minute - from eight to ten. - In severe asphyxia - from zero to three points in the first minute and seven points to the fifth minute.
The higher the scores on this scale, the smaller the degree of asphyxia was in the child. Low scores indicate a high probability of developing neurological disorders in the child: hyperactivity, psycho-speech pathologies, delay in mental or physical development. The consequences of fetal hypoxia during childbirth can sometimes be very serious. The reason for this is that the oxygen deficiency carries the child's brain most severely. A slight lack of oxygen during pregnancy during childbirth can develop into an acute form. But if the child began to breathe himself, then he has every chance to avoid pathologies of growth and development.