A Small Shock to the Mother Can Hurt Her Baby

QUESTION: It is probably nothing, but my daughter relates that she got an
electrical shock from an exposed wire to a bedroom lamp. She is pregnant, and
I am worried that this might have some effect on the baby, for I believe I
once read something about a similar situation. Can the baby be hurt if a
pregnant mother gets an electrical shock from a bad wire on a lamp?
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ANSWER: I am sure that you probably suspected this, but the answer is "Yes".
The baby is particularly vulnerable to a shock, even a minor one, because he
or she is surrounded by amniotic fluid and blood vessels that have an
especially low resistance to electrical current. A minor shock to a mother
may be a major shock to a baby in her uterus.
A pregnant woman who receives a shock like you describe should
immediately report it to her doctor, even if the incident seems minor. She
should note any decrease in the baby's movement. Her doctor should listen to
the baby's heart rate immediately and continue close observation for the rest
of the pregnancy, even if the initial physical examination reveals no
problems. If a mother has been shocked, she may develop a condition called
oligohydramnios, or scant amniotic fluid, and her baby's growth may be slowed
dramatically. It is uncertain exactly why this occurs, but it has been
observed many times, and is the reason that the answer to this seemingly
simple question has real importance. Not that this occurs in every situation,
but taking all the steps to be sure of continued close medical surveillance is
only prudent.