Labor is a stressful time for both mom and baby. Most of the time, it ends in joy. But when a baby shows signs of trouble during labor—something known as fetal intolerance to labor—and doctors don’t act quickly, that joy can turn into heartbreak. These signs are not new. They are well known, well understood, and often easy to spot. The issue isn’t usually knowledge. It’s action. Or rather, the lack of it.
Fetal intolerance to labor means the baby isn’t handling labor well. It can show up in changes in heart rate, slowed movements, or signs of oxygen loss. These are red flags. When medical teams ignore them or delay care, the baby can suffer serious injuries. Some of those injuries can last a lifetime.
What Fetal Distress Looks Like
During labor, hospitals monitor the baby’s heart rate using special equipment. When that heart rate speeds up or slows down in unusual ways, it can mean the baby is not getting enough oxygen. That’s fetal distress. Doctors and nurses are trained to look for it. They are trained to act when they see it. Yet, sometimes, they don’t.
When these warning signs are missed or brushed off, a baby might stay in distress for too long. That delay can cause brain damage, nerve injury, or even death. It doesn’t take hours. Sometimes, just minutes of oxygen loss can cause harm that no amount of therapy or surgery can fix.
How Delay Causes Damage
Babies rely on oxygen and nutrients that come through the placenta. During labor, that flow can slow or stop. If the baby’s oxygen is cut off and no action is taken, the brain and other organs start to suffer. This can lead to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a type of brain injury caused by lack of oxygen. It can cause cerebral palsy, seizures, learning disabilities, or problems with walking and talking.
And yet, many of these outcomes are preventable. When medical teams respond quickly to signs of trouble—by turning the mother, giving oxygen, stopping labor-inducing drugs, or moving to a C-section—the baby often recovers. When they don’t, families pay the price.
Why Doctors Sometimes Wait
There are many reasons doctors may delay acting. They may think the signs will pass. They may not want to do a C-section unless it feels absolutely needed. Or they may simply be overwhelmed. But none of these excuses erase what happens when the baby is left in trouble too long. The risk is too great. And the damage is often permanent.
Too many families are told that these injuries are rare. Or that “sometimes these things just happen.” But when a baby shows signs of distress and no one responds, that’s not a mystery. It’s a mistake. And it’s not one the family should have to pay for.
Your Rights When Something Goes Wrong
Florida law allows families to seek help when medical mistakes cause injury. If your baby was hurt because doctors didn’t act on signs of distress during labor, you may have the right to seek justice. This is not about blame. This is about answers. About care. About making sure it doesn’t happen again.
You may be dealing with long-term care costs, therapies, or the deep pain of losing a child. Those are burdens you shouldn’t carry alone. You have legal options. And there are people ready to help you understand them.
What to Look For If You Suspect a Problem
If your baby had to be rushed to the NICU, stopped breathing during delivery, or was later diagnosed with brain injury or cerebral palsy, those may be signs of distress that was not handled properly. You may remember nurses talking in hushed tones, or alarms that didn’t lead to quick care. These are clues. They matter. And your story deserves to be heard.
It’s also possible that the medical records don’t tell the whole story. That’s where a good legal team comes in. They know how to dig deeper. How to read between the lines. And how to ask the right questions.
The Long Road Families Must Walk After a Birth Injury
When a baby suffers a birth injury due to missed signs of distress, the road ahead can feel endless. Parents often juggle medical bills, therapy appointments, and the emotional weight of caring for a child who may never walk, talk, or learn like other kids. Some babies need help to breathe, eat, or even see. Others face a future filled with surgeries and hospital stays.
This kind of care is not only hard—it’s expensive. Families might need to remodel their homes to make room for special equipment or hire nurses to help at night. One parent may have to leave work just to provide care. The cost of raising a child with a serious injury can reach millions over a lifetime. And those bills don’t wait. They start piling up fast.
None of this should fall on your shoulders if the injury could have been prevented. If doctors failed to act, you should not have to bear the burden alone. A birth injury claim isn’t about looking backward in anger. It’s about looking forward with strength and support. It’s about making sure your child gets the care they need, not just today, but every day.
Why Telling Your Story Matters
You might wonder if speaking up will change anything. It can. Many hospitals and doctors only change the way they handle fetal distress after something goes wrong—and someone demands answers. Your story can help protect future families. It can bring change. It can save lives.
More than that, your story is worth telling because your child matters. The pain you carry is real. You’re not overreacting. You’re not imagining things. When someone’s failure causes harm, it’s not just a bad break. It’s something that should never have happened. You deserve to be heard.
Hope Begins With One Call
You don’t have to go through this alone. If your baby was injured during labor and you believe the signs of distress were ignored, we’re here to listen. At Faiella & Gulden, P.A., we work with families who have faced exactly this kind of loss. We know how to read the signs. We know what questions to ask. And we know how to fight for the answers you deserve.
It starts with a conversation. We’ll walk through what happened, explain your rights, and talk about what comes next. There is no cost to talk with us. No pressure. Just real help, from people who understand what you’re going through.
If your family is hurting and you want answers, call Faiella & Gulden, P.A. today. Let’s take the next step together.
