Is oxygen inhalation useful for fetal hypoxia?

The fetus's body develops very rapidly, which requires a large amount of oxygen to support it. This is because oxygen is a key substance in metabolism and the basis for cell conversion and growth. Many fetuses will encounter some problems during development, and at this time they need to use oxygen inhalation to regulate their bodies and ensure that their health is protected to the greatest extent possible. For example, is it useful to inhale oxygen when the fetus is hypoxic? Let’s take a look at the explanation below.

Short-term chronic hypoxia does not have much impact on the normal growth and development and physical health of the fetus, but if the hypoxia lasts too long, it can easily lead to fetal growth retardation or even fetal growth retardation. There are many causes of fetal hypoxia, and factors from the mother, fetus, and placenta may all lead to fetal hypoxia.

1. Maternal factors. The oxygen needed by the fetus comes from the mother and is exchanged through the intervillous spaces of the placenta. Insufficient oxygen content in the mother's blood can cause fetal hypoxia. High-risk pregnancy, acute maternal blood loss and severe anemia, fever caused by acute infection, excessive use of anesthetics and sedatives by pregnant women to suppress breathing, improper use of oxytocin causing excessive uterine contractions, prolonged labor, premature rupture of membranes, smoking and passive smoking. Excessive mental stress in pregnant women can lead to sympathetic nerve excitement, vasoconstriction, insufficient blood supply to the placenta, and lying in the supine position for a long time, all of which can easily lead to insufficient oxygen in the mother's blood.

2. Impairment of blood oxygen transport and exchange between mother and fetus. Placental dysfunction, such as overdue pregnancy, placenta previa, placental abruption, placenta that is too large or too small, membrane placenta, circumferential placenta, etc.; umbilical cord abnormalities, such as umbilical cord around the neck, umbilical cord knotting, umbilical cord torsion, umbilical cord prolapse, umbilical cord hematoma, umbilical cord that is too long or too short, umbilical cord attached to the fetal membrane; excessive expansion and contraction of the uterus, etc. can easily lead to fetal hypoxia.

How pregnant women can prevent their babies from lack of oxygen

Regular electronic fetal heart rate monitoring, B-ultrasound examinations, and fetal-placental function testing can help detect fetal intrauterine hypoxia in a timely manner and ensure timely delivery. Around 36 weeks of pregnancy is a high incidence period of intrauterine growth retardation and fetal death, so monitoring should be strengthened; in addition, pregnant women should not sit for too long. Because the sitting posture will compress the uterus and is not conducive to the movement of the fetus in the abdomen. Over time it will affect the blood circulation of the placenta, and then cause fetal hypoxia. Pregnant women should walk more appropriately, which is not only good for the fetus, but also helps to raise the head and lower it, which will be more conducive to normal delivery during delivery; being overweight or exposed to secondhand smoke in pregnant women can also reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the fetus during pregnancy.