Precipitous Labor | Birth Injury Lawyers

• Labor & Delivery Complications
• Precipitous Labor (Rapid Labor)

Precipitous Labor Leading to Birth Injuries

An expecting mother’s childbirth process is often strenuous and painful. On average, most labors last anywhere between 8 to 24 hours from the time the mother’s water breaks.

For most women, a precipitous labor (or rapid labor) may sound ideal in theory. However, precipitous labors increase the likelihood of labor and delivery complications that can harm either the mother or her child.

Precipitous labor can sometimes occur when doctors overprescribe labor-inducing medications like Pitocin and Cytotec. A mother’s underlying conditions, such as high blood pressure or extremely strong contractions, can also contribute to faster labor.

Mothers who experience precipitous labor are more likely to experience vaginal and perineal tearing and lacerations, leading to excessive bleeding. It also increases their risk for having a retained placenta after birth, which doctors will need to surgically remove.

OB-GYNs, maternal fetal medicine specialists, nurses, midwives, and other healthcare providers have a duty to protect their patients from harm. If they fail to identify or treat a mother’s complications before or following her precipitous labor, it constitutes medical malpractice.

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A newborn can suffer from devastating birth injuries without proper treatment during and after a rapid labor. These injuries can have lifelong consequences, such as fetal bradycardia, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), or even cerebral palsy.

Miller Weisbrod Olesky has a decades-long track record of results for families suffering mismanaged labor and delivery complications. Our birth injury attorneys work tirelessly to ensure you and your child receive the treatment and financial resources you deserve. We do not charge you with a single fee until we win your case and secure compensation.

Recent Birth Injury Settlement:
Birth Injury settlement against a hospital in which nurses and physicians failed to properly monitor the mother's blood pressure during delivery causing an HIE event resulting in neonatal seizures and cerebral palsy at birth. Our team of experienced Oklahoma birth injury lawyers recovered $13,750,000 for the family to help with future medical expenses and developmental therapy.

What Is Precipitous Labor?

A mother experiences a precipitous labor when she delivers her child within three hours or less after her water breaks. For reference, a typical labor lasts around 12-24 hours for the mother’s first birth. Labor usually becomes shorter the second time and for all future births, lasting around 8-10 hours on average.

Precipitous labor is rare, estimated to occur in about 1-3% of all births.

What Are the Stages of Labor?

There are three main stages of labor:

Stage 1: Early & Active Labor

A woman’s labor typically begins with her amniotic sac rupturing, known commonly as her “water breaking.” This happens as her uterus begins having consistent muscle contractions. She will likely feel pain in her lower back as her cervix begins to efface (become thinner) and dilate (open).

Stage 2: Delivery

During this stage, the mother’s cervix will become fully dilated. She will start to feel the urge to push. It can take anywhere from minutes to hours for the mother to push the baby through her birth canal.

Stage 3: Afterbirth

The final stage of birth happens after the baby has been born when the mother delivers the placenta. The placenta is a temporary organ formed in the uterus during pregnancy that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. It typically takes up to 30 minutes for it to deliver. After the placenta passes through, the mother’s uterus can then contract back to its regular size.

During a precipitous labor, the first two stages may overlap or feel like one continuous phase. It may also affect her ability to deliver the placenta in the third stage of labor.

What Are the Signs of Precipitous Labor?

A mother experiencing a precipitous labor will often display the following signs:

Intense Labor Contractions

Labor contractions should gradually intensify as the mother progresses through the stages of labor. During a precipitous labor, however, the mother’s first contractions will immediately feel intensely painful.

Since all contractions are painful, the mother might not be able to tell whether her first contractions are abnormally painful. If this is the case, she should pay attention to the time in between her contractions.

A series of abnormally strong contractions during labor (uterine hyperstimulation) is associated with decelerations in fetal heart rate. These decelerations may progress into fetal distress if healthcare providers do not carefully monitor the baby’s heart rate.

Uterine Tachysystole

With precipitous labor, the mother’s contractions will begin suddenly with little time in between. This is a condition known as uterine tachysystole.

During the first stage of a typical labor, a mother can expect her contractions to be 15-20 minutes apart. She should go to the hospital once contractions occur every 5 minutes for an hour.

With a precipitous labor, however, the mother’s contractions will likely be only 5-10 minutes apart from the beginning. The pain may even feel like one continuous contraction with no gaps in between.

Sudden Urge to Push

When birth is imminent, the mother will feel pressure in the pelvic area during and shortly after contractions. Some women have compared this feeling to a bowel movement.

During a precipitous labor, the mother will experience this feeling within only a few hours of starting contractions. In some cases, it may happen too quickly for her to make it to a hospital.

What Causes Precipitous Labor?

Doctors and medical researchers still cannot always determine why some women experience precipitous labor and others do not. Current research suggests certain biological and genetic factors can contribute to stronger contractions and lower resistance of the birth canal.

However, certain known risk factors can increase an expecting mother’s likelihood of having a rapid labor.

What Are Risk Factors for Precipitous Labor?

Known risk factors for precipitous labor include:

• Having a previous case of rapid labor.
• Having previously given birth one or more times (multiparity).
• The fetus being smaller than average in size, possibly due to fetal growth restriction or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).
• Having preeclampsia or high blood pressure.
• Experiencing a placental abruption or uterine rupture in the past or during pregnancy.
• Having a wider-than-average birth canal or wide pelvic bone structure (gynecoid pelvis).

Healthcare providers should take note of any of these characteristics or pregnancy complications before the mother’s labor. Their proper monitoring and planning can prevent any difficulties or complications she may encounter while giving birth.

How Can Precipitous Labor Cause Harm?

Precipitous labor can cause harm to both the mother and her child in several ways:

Internal Tearing or Rupturing

The contractions a mother undergoes during precipitous labor can be so forceful that they damage the uterine lining. If this happens, it can cause severe internal bleeding and even cause damage to nearby organs like the bladder.

If the mother’s uterus ruptures in the middle of her precipitous labor, it can put the baby’s health in jeopardy as well. This is a medical emergency that requires the labor and delivery team to immediately intervene with an emergency C-Section.

The biggest concern with uterine rupture is the threat to the baby’s oxygen supply. Internal hemorrhaging from a uterine rupture can significantly reduce the flow of oxygenated blood to the fetus. Prolonged periods without oxygenated blood during labor increase the odds of a hypoxic brain injury like HIE.

Along with the risk of uterine rupture, strong precipitous labor contractions can also cause perineal tears and vaginal lacerations. Failing to diagnose and immediately treat a rupture or tear can leave the mother in severe pain.

Risk of Fetal Distress and Fetal Bradycardia

Particularly intense contractions, coupled with other rapid labor complications like placental abruptions or uterine ruptures, threaten the baby’s oxygen supply. If this persists, the child is likely to have an abnormal fetal heart rate show signs of fetal distress. Babies in fetal distress are at high risk for developing hypoxic birth injuries, which affect both the brain and heart.

One significant risk is fetal bradycardia, where the baby's heart rate is abnormally low (below 110 beats per minute). Prolonged fetal bradycardia is a medical emergency and usually requires an emergency c-section to prevent a brain injury like HIE.

Children born with fetal bradycardia will require immediate medical attention in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Neonatal healthcare specialists must closely monitor babies with bradycardia to avoid serious long-term effects. The fetal or neonatal outcomes may include nerve damage, brain damage, birth asphyxia, paralysis, cerebral palsy, and in some instances even death.

Infection From an Unsterilized Delivery Area

Precipitous labor can be unpredictable and sometimes force a mother to give birth to their children in unexpected areas, such as in their home bathroom or the backseat of a car.

Giving birth outside of the traditional, sterilized hospital environment introduces a few risks to the child’s health, namely exposure to germs and infection.

Complications From a Retained Placenta

Precipitous labor can put women at a higher risk for difficulties passing the placenta.

Researchers believe this happens because the duration of a rapid labor does not allow time for enough uterine contractions. This results in the placental tissue not detaching fully from the uterine lining and remaining lodged inside the mother’s body.

A mother that is unable to properly pass the placenta becomes at risk for life-threatening internal bleeding and infection. Healthcare professionals must be aware of the increased risk for retained products of conception (RPOC) for mother's who have undergone a precipitous labor.

Increased Risk of Birth Trauma

Precipitous labor makes newborns more likely to experience a traumatic birth injury due to their rapid progression through the birth canal. The most concerning risk is a birth-related head injury, which can lead to brain damage and long-lasting developmental delays.

How Can Medical Malpractice Occur in Precipitous Labor Cases?

In most cases, precipitous labor is naturally occurring and out of the hands of healthcare professionals. However, failing to treat complications related to a woman’s rapid labor can constitute medical malpractice in some cases.

Examples of scenarios where medical negligence may factor into a mother’s or her child’s injuries:

• Improper administration of labor-inducing medications that directly caused a precipitous labor event.
• Failing to respond to a prolonged case of fetal bradycardia.
• Failing to perform an emergency c-section due to fetal distress.
• Failing to catch or treat a mother’s retained placenta following her rapid labor, leading to further injury or infection.
• Failing to recognize and respond to a mother’s uterine rupture or perineal tears after precipitous labor, leading to further injuries or complications.

It requires a detailed review of the specific facts and timeline of events before determining whether medical malpractice occurred. Our dedicated birth injury lawyers can help seek answers to any suspicions you may have of medical errors taking place.

Frequently Asked Questions About Precipitous Labor

Is Precipitous Labor More Painful?

In most cases, yes. While rapid labor isn’t guaranteed to be more painful, most women likely report it to be the case for a combination of factors. First, precipitous labor contractions are extremely intense from the beginning and happen with very little breaks in between. Some mothers even report it feeling like one long, continuous contraction.

Additionally, precipitous labor outside of the hospital can block the mother from pain-relieving medications like an epidural. This can add to the amount of pain she endures during and shortly after giving birth.

How to Prepare for a Precipitous Labor?

An expecting mother’s primary healthcare provider should make her aware of the chance of precipitous labor if she shows any risk factors. This can include ultrasounds where the fetus is shown to be smaller than average, underlying conditions like preeclampsia, or a medical history of a uterine rupture or previous rapid labor.

In some cases, if the risk of a precipitous labor is extremely high, a doctor can approve a mother for an induced labor procedure. Eligibility for such procedures will depend on the unique circumstances surrounding the mother’s pregnancy.

How Common is Precipitous Labor?

Precipitous labor is rare, estimated to occur in about 1-3% of all births.

Does Precipitous Labor Run in Families?

There is no conclusive evidence to support that precipitous labor runs in families. However, genetics can play a factor in women’s birth canal flexibility and pelvic shape, which can be risk factors for rapid labor. Conditions like intrauterine growth restriction, a common risk factor, can be hereditary as well.

What Are the Statute of Limitations in a Birth Injury Malpractice Lawsuit?

A statute of limitations (SOL) is a law that sets a time limit on how long an injured person has to file a lawsuit after an accident. It is essential to understand that statutes of limitations vary based on the type of case and the state where it is filed. For instance, the deadline for birth injury claims is typically different from other claims, such as injury to personal property, fraud, contract disputes, and collection of debts.

Generally, the clock starts ticking on the date the injury occurred. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and in some cases, the statute of limitations starts when a person discovers or reasonably should have discovered an injury. When dealing with government agencies, SOLs can become even more complex.

For example, if the party that injured you was:

• A federal employee
• Employed by a military hospital, Veterans Administration facility, or a federally funded medical entity

You may need to file a birth injury claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). In FTCA cases, claimants must go through certain administrative procedures before filing a lawsuit. In some states, if the negligent party was a local or state government hospital or the doctors and medical providers are employees of a governmental entity, the time period in which you must give "notice" may be shorter.

If your case is filed outside of the statute of limitations, it will typically be dismissed, and you will not be eligible to recover compensation for your injuries. Determining when a statute of limitations begins on your case can be tricky. If you're considering pursuing compensation for a birth injury, contacting an attorney as soon as possible is in your best interest.

How Our Birth Injury Attorneys Can Help

Labor and delivery complications are not always preventable, but medical errors are. It takes an expert review of the facts of your birth to determine whether medical professionals mismanaged your precipitous labor.

At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, a team of committed birth injury attorneys, nurses and paraprofessionals works to answer these questions and seek compensation. We use our detailed medical negligence case review process to assess your potential birth injury case.

We start by learning more about you and your child and the status of meeting/missing developmental milestones. We then gather medical records to determine what happened before, during, and after your precipitous labor.

We call in skilled medical experts who review your records and provide insight into where medical professionals went wrong. If we feel medical negligence caused or contributed to you or your child's injuries, we meet with you to discuss.

At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment when you do. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can investigate your case and gather the evidence to support your claim.

We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won't pay any legal fees unless we win your case. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation by calling our toll-free line at (888) 987-0005. You can also reach us by filling out our online request form.

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