What are the most common labour complications in Singapore?

Doctor's Answers 1

There are a myriad of complications that can occur. Generally the more common ones include

  1. Slow or arrested labour due to the cephalo-pelvic disproportion. This is usually in turn due to relatively large baby compared to the size of the bony maternal pelvis, and/or occiput posterior position where the presenting diameter for the fetal head is larger compared to when the baby is in a more favourable occiput anterior position.
  2. Fetal distress -this is usually manifested by an abnormal fetal heart rate trace on the CTG. This is turn is more likely in cases of a compromised growth restricted baby, poor placental function, postdates babies or in cases of meconium passage. Prolonged abnormal fetal heart rate trace indicates a significant lack of oxygen to the baby. If there is significant fetal distress and delivery is not imminent usually the obstetrician will advise a Caesarean section.
  3. Haemorrhage - should it be be doing the labour or more typically after the labour (postpartum haemorrhage). Obstetric haemorrhage can be precipitous and a significant amount of blood can be lost in a very short period of time. The mum can go into hypovolaemic shock as well as complications related to depletion of clotting factors. This is an obstetric emergency and need to be properly dealt with as quickly as possible.
  4. Placental abruption - this is a condition where the placenta prematurely separates from the wall of the uterus prior to delivery of the baby. Again this is a obstetric emergency and requires a Caesarean section stat otherwise the baby is at risk of suffering acute lack of oxygen which may result permanent effects in particular brain injury.
  5. Other complications that can occur include shoulder dystocia and abnormal presentations of the baby (fetal position in labour).

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