Transverse Fetal Lie
Transverse presentation, sideways presentation
What does transverse fetal lie mean?
Transverse fetal lie this means that the baby is positioned sideways in the womb. Normally, the baby presents in a head-down position (vertex position) before birth.
If transverse lie occurs early in pregnancy, the baby usually moves into a better position before birth. During the early weeks, the baby has plenty of space in the uterine cavity to change position.
Transverse fetal lie can make vaginal birth very risky for both the mother and baby. Later in pregnancy, medical professionals may be able to rotate the baby into a head-down presentation. However, if this is unsuccessful, then it will be necessary to deliver via C-section.
Transverse lie may also be referred to as transverse presentation or transverse position.
Transverse Lie Position and Birth Injuries
Doctors and nurses must carefully manage pregnancies involving transverse lies. Mismanagement can cause serious obstetrical complications and birth injuries.
Welcoming a child to the world should be a joyful day, but a birth injury diagnosis can be traumatizing for the entire family. Parents can feel lost while their child receives treatment in the NICU. If your child has received a complicated diagnosis, you may feel like you face an uncertain future.
Often, birth injuries are preventable. Proper monitoring and prompt action can mitigate harm from complications like abnormal presentation or positioning. Medical negligence can include the medical staff’s failure to diagnose the condition early or failing to act when the baby is in distress.
If your child has received a birth injury diagnosis due to negligence, you are not alone. The birth injury attorneys at ABC Law Centers can help you receive compensation to cover the costs of physical therapy, housing modifications, and many things your child may need to live the life they deserve.
Call us today to speak to an attorney. Our staff is ready to answer any questions you may have, completely free of cost or obligation.
Fetal lie, presentation, and position: what’s the difference?
These terms are often used interchangeably; however, there are some subtle differences.
Fetal lie describes the relationship between the long axis of the baby relative to the long axis of the mother.
There are three main types of fetal lie:
- Longitudinal lie
- (vertex and breech are both longitudinal lies
- Transverse lie
- the baby is sideways in the womb
- Oblique lie
- the baby is at an angle between longitudinal and transverse
Fetal presentation describes what part of the baby is directly above the mother’s pelvic opening. For example, in a vertex presentation, the head faces the birth canal. In breech position, the baby’s rear presents first. If the baby is in transverse lie, the back or shoulder may be the presenting part.
Fetal position is a more detailed description of the baby’s posture in the womb. For example, if the head is the presenting part, fetal position will provide information on whether the head is facing the mother’s front, back, right, or left.
Risk factors for transverse lie
The following pregnancy characteristics and complications increase the risk of a transverse fetal lie:
- Prematurity
- this is the most common transverse fetal lie situation because babies are often in a transverse lie early in pregnancy
- Multiparity
- Placenta previa
- Polyhydramnios
- Multiples pregnancy (e.g. twins)
- Pelvic, uterine, or fetal anomalies
Management of a fetus in transverse lie
If the fetus does not change position before labor, medical staff must intervene.
In some cases, medical professionals may be able to manually rotate the fetus into a head-first presentation. This may involve external actions like pushing on the mother’s abdomen to roll the fetus. Typically, medications are also involved. Alternatively, medical professionals may have to intervene internally. In this case, a physician reaches into the mother’s uterus to move the fetus. If the amniotic fluid level is low, this option may not be possible.
The medical team may also perform an amniotomy or an artificial rupture of membranes. Medical professionals intentionally break the water in order to induce labor after turning the baby.
Physicians should always be prepared for a possible C-section delivery. Complications can ensue in the event of fetal distress or a delayed delivery.
Complications associated with transverse lie
Complications associated with a transverse fetal lie, especially when mismanaged, may include the following:
- Umbilical cord prolapse
- Birth trauma
- Premature birth
- Uterine rupture
- Maternal injury or death (for example, blood loss from hemorrhage)
- Stillbirth
- Birth asphyxia (oxygen deprivation around the time of birth, which can cause hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and cerebral palsy)
- Neonatal sepsis
Legal help for mismanaged transverse fetal lie and birth injuries
ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers focuses exclusively on birth injury cases. A “birth injury” is any type of harm to a baby that occurs just before, during, or after birth. This includes issues such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), infection, and trauma. While some children with birth injuries make a complete recovery, others develop disabilities such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
If a birth injury or subsequent disability was preventable with proper care, then it constitutes medical malpractice. Settlements from birth injury cases can cover the costs of lifelong treatment, care, and other crucial resources.
If you believe you may have a birth injury case for your child, please contact us today to learn more. We are happy to talk to you free of any obligation or charge. In fact, clients pay nothing throughout the entire legal process unless we win.
