Danielle George - All Headline News Staff Reporter

New York, NY (AHN)- Three methods used when a baby is distressed during labor, have been proven to work.

As reported in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, these techniques involve giving the mother a liter of IV fluid, placing her on her side, and administering oxygen with a face mask.

In fact, these steps "have become the legal standard," Dr. Kathleen Rice Simpson, from St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, commented to Reuters Health.

"If you don't use them when the fetus is in trouble, people will say that you've violated the standard of care." Ironically, "There isn't a lot of evidence to support these measures," Dr. Simpson said. "They're just intuitively thought to benefit the fetus."

Recent studies show that giving a liter of IV fluid was significantly better than half a liter at improving fetal oxygen saturation, the investigators found. Likewise, lateral positioning and oxygen administration also significantly improved the babies' oxygen level.