Too little evidence to show whether oxygen administration to the woman during labour is beneficial to the baby.
Some babies show signs of distress, such as unusual heart rates or the passing of a bowel motion (meconium) during their mother's labour. This may be caused by a lack of oxygen passing from the woman to the baby through the placenta. Sometimes, women may be encouraged to breathe extra oxygen through a facemask (oxygen administration) to increase the oxygen available to the unborn baby. A review of two trials found too little evidence to show whether oxygen administration to the woman during the second stage of labour is beneficial to the baby. No trials of oxygen administration when the baby is showing signs of distress were found. Further research is needed.