Head injury, brain damage, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, and Erb’s palsy are just some of the injuries a newborn can suffer as a result of mistakes that happen during labor and delivery. In certain cases, medical mismanagement by the obstetrician can lead to unforeseen and tragic consequences for the mother. Many times, even the unforeseen consequences are preventable. The attorneys at Shocklee Paolino want to hear what happened to your child or to you. Our team of labor and delivery injury attorneys can help you determine whether your child’s birth injury or your injury was caused by medical mismanagement or negligence.
What Can Go Wrong To Cause a Labor and Delivery Injury?
Throughout a pregnancy, there are numerous signs to alert an observant and qualified obstetrician about potential issues that should allow him or her to take the proper precautions. All too often, those signs get missed or disregarded. Obstetric malpractice that results in injury can occur at any stage of gestation all the way through a labor and delivery injury. For example, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) may have committed:
- Failure to monitor a mother’s weight gain or review her history of deliveries
- Failure to correctly interpret the results of diagnostic testing, such as a sonogram or blood test
- Failure to recognize or properly respond to bleeding, including placental abruption
- Failure to recognize or properly respond to umbilical cord compression or prolapsed cord
- Failure to recognize or properly respond to fetal distress and fetal monitoring strips
- Failure to properly recognize and treat infections
- Failure to perform (or possibly just a delay in) a necessary cesarean section (C-section)
- Misuse of a vacuum extractor
- Misuse of forceps
- Failure to recognize and treat gestational diabetes
- Failure to recognize and treat preeclampsia
Devastating Injuries Caused by Obstetric Malpractice
Erb’s palsy: When a baby descends from the birth canal, a larger fetus or one that is improperly positioned may present dangers to both the mother and the baby. In cases of Erb’s palsy, also commonly known as shoulder dystocia, the baby gets trapped in the birth canal because the infant is too large to pass through the pelvis or is trying to pass in the wrong position (breach or otherwise). When too much traction is placed on the infant, injury to the brachial plexus (the nerves that run from the shoulder to the spine) can take place. This may cause life long damage to the hands, arms, or shoulders of the child.
Physicians need to be aware of the potential of this obstetric emergency by determining the likely weight and position of the baby before active labor begins. This knowledge will allow them to properly monitor the progression of labor and delivery in order to take the necessary steps to reposition the fetus before injury occurs or perform a C-section to prevent injury.
Cerebral palsy: Often caused by insufficient oxygen reaching the brain of the newborn prior to birth. Cerebral palsy can be prevented by carefully monitoring the baby during the progression of labor and delivery and promptly performing a C-section before brain damage occurs.
Other labor and delivery injuries that can result from medical malpractice include preeclampsia, cranial or spinal cord injury, and umbilical cord strangulation.
Injuries to Mothers During Childbirth
Obstetric malpractice doesn’t just affect the well being of the newboard, it can also result in injury to the mother. Injuries to the cervix, uterus, and blood vessels frequently take place because of surgical errors that occur during vaginal delivery as well as delivery by C-section. The failure to promptly treat preeclampsia can tragically lead to the death of the mother. Women can also suffer from preventable infections that lead to tissue and nerve damage when placental tissue is improperly left behind in the uterus following childbirth. Failure to promptly respond to vaginal bleeding following delivery, a condition known as uterine atony, can also lead to permanent injury and even death of the mother. Our attorneys have represented many mothers who were needlessly harmed during the course of childbirth.
Labor and Delivery Injury? We’re in This Together
If you think that you or your child’s birth injury is the result of medical negligence, you owe it to yourself to seek justice. At Shocklee Paolino, our malpractice lawyers know what you’re up against—and we’ll stand by you every step of the way. You pay nothing unless we obtain compensation on behalf of you and your child. Reach out to us today.