Cephalopelvic Disproportion
There is no true guarantee on how long a labor will last. Some mothers can deliver their babies vaginally in less than an hour, while others can take days before the baby arrives. However, cephalopelvic disproportion, or CPD, is a condition that results in the failure of progress during labor.
CPD occurs when a baby’s head or body is too large to fit through the birth canal or the pelvis. This can result in the failure of the baby to successfully pass through the birth canal, which basically means that the newborn gets stuck. CPD can be caused by several different things, including:
- Unusually small pelvis
- Abnormal fetal positioning
- Abnormal pelvis shape
- Overly large baby (which can be due to genetics, macrosomia, late arrival or multiparity)
With cephalopelvic disproportion, a baby can be turned so that it is facing up towards a mother’s abdomen rather than turned face down towards her back. This results in painful pregnancy, a lengthy delivery, and the possibility of a torn birth canal.
Although it can be hard to actually determine if a baby is too large for the pelvis, doctors often use that diagnosis if a labor fails to proceed, even when medical aid is administered. Because a baby’s head bones are not yet fused, they can usually compress enough to fit through the birth canal, which is also widened due to spreading pelvic joints. Thus, doctors cannot always estimate if a baby will have trouble in the birth canal.
While your doctor is not always able to predetermine if you have CPD, labor that lasts too long puts a baby at risk for birth infections and other problems. You should reasonably expect your doctor to recognize an overly long, unsafe labor and take steps to protect your child. If not, your precious baby can suffer from birth injuries which may affect him or her for life.
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If you or someone you know has had a baby that has sustained birth injuries, you may be entitled to financial compensation. For more information regarding birth injury law, contact the Philadelphia birth injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., today at 215-238-1130.