The medical malpractice attorneys at the Brannon Law Firm handle birth injury cases, including those involving Labor and Delivery Complications. If your child was harmed during childbirth and you experienced complications during labor and delivery, there is a good possibility that it was caused by medical negligence or medical malpractice. It is in your best interests to seek out more information about Labor and Delivery Complications if you suspect that medical malpractice or medical negligence may have been involved in the delivery process. Information on what Labor and Delivery Complications are and what it might mean for you and your child can be found below. Additionally, the medical malpractice attorneys at the Brannon Law Firm invite you to contact us, either at 937-228-2306 or 1-800-VERDICT for a free consultation to answer your questions and provide legal assistance.
What are Labor and Delivery Complications?
Labor and Delivery is another term for childbirth, and it is the natural conclusion of pregnancy. Childbirth is a normal and natural process, and the majority of childbirths occur without any issues or problems.
However, complications may occur during the process of childbirth. These complications can range from minor, even routine issues to incidents that are far more serious and severe. Injury is possible to both the mother and the infant. Health issues or future disability may be caused by complications during childbirth. In the most extreme cases, Labor and Delivery Complications may be fatal to either the mother or infant.
Listed below are some common complications occurring during childbirth.
- Breech Birth – Infant is delivered feet first
- Fetal Distress – Issues suffered by the infant during childbirth, such as:
- Lack of oxygen
- Infection
- Maternal Distress – Issues suffered by the mother during childbirth, such as:
- Perineal tearing
- General or specific pain
- Infection
- Umbilical Cord Issues – Such as the umbilical cord being wrapped around the infant’s neck or umbilical cord compression
- Prolonged Labor
- Premature Labor
- Ruptured Placenta – Early separation of placenta from uterus
- Shoulder Dystopia – Catching of the infant in the birth canal, preventing delivery
- Caesarean Section – A C-Section may become necessary due to complications
Consequences of Labor and Delivery Complications
Labor and Delivery Complications can result in a range of consequences for both the mother and the child. Some of these consequences can be quite minor and may resolve on their own. However, others can be quite severe, resulting in serious health issues, permanent injury and future medical care.
Minor issues tend to include smaller injuries to the mother or the child that either resolve naturally or require minimal medical attention. These include such things as vaginal tearing or lacerations to the mother, cuts or bruises to the infant, or general pain.
More serious and potentially long term issues include the following:
- Brain damage to the infant
- Nerve damage to the spinal cord of the infant
- Klumpike Palsy
- Erb’s Palsy
- Hypoxia
- Cerebral Palsy
- Brachial Plexus Injuries
In the most severe cases, issues during childbirth may cause complications which lead to the death of the infant or the mother.
Medical and Legal Significance of Labor and Delivery Complications
While the majority of childbirths do not experience any problems, Labor and Delivery Complications are still a possibility. As such, it is important for doctors and other medical professionals to be aware of that possibility and to be monitoring for potential complications in the interest of avoiding them. Additionally, should an unpredicted complication arise, doctors or medical professionals need to be able to respond to the complication in the correct and proper fashion in order to prevent injury to either the mother or infant.
Labor and Delivery Complications and the resulting damage may be caused by medical malpractice or negligence of medical professionals. This may occur in a number of different ways.
- A failure to properly monitor, detect, or respond to potential distress of the mother or the fetus, either before childbirth or during childbirth
- A failure to diagnose the need for a Caesarian Section, either before or during childbirth
- Improper use of forceps, vacuum extractor, or other assisted delivery methods
- A failure to detect and correctly respond to umbilical cord issues (such as placement around neck or compression)
- A failure to detect and correctly respond to a breech presentation or breech birth
- A failure to detect and correctly respond to issues involving the placenta
- Improper prescription of medication or improper administration of medication
Doctors and medical professionals have an obligation to monitor the health and status of the mother and the fetus throughout the pregnancy and the childbirth. Doing so allows the medical professionals to be aware of potential issues, and either correct them before hand or plan for them in order to be able to respond to them when they occur. Failure to do so may result in injury or harm to the mother or the infant.
Additionally, doctors and medical professionals have an obligation to respond to complications by administering the right procedures in the proper and correct manner. Using a birthing technique or procedure incorrectly, doing the wrong technique at the wrong time, or doing nothing at all when action is required can result in harm or injury to the mother or the infant.
Through proper planning and action, medical professionals should have the opportunity to either prevent Labor and Delivery Complications from occurring in the first place, or should complications occur, prevent harm or injuries from happening as a result.
Seeking Legal Counsel and Guidance
If you have experienced complications during childbirth which resulted in health issue or injuries to either yourself or your child, medical malpractice or medical negligence may be the cause. The medical malpractice attorneys at the Brannon Law Firm have the skill and experience to discover whether your or your child’s health issues were caused by medical malpractice or negligence.
Medical malpractice and negligence is preventable. It is caused by the error, improper action, or lack of action by medical professionals. It is important to hold those medical professionals to the proper standards of care and to hold them accountable for the harms and losses they may cause. The Brannon Law Firm can help hold those at fault accountable.
Additionally, treatment for you or your child may be difficult, both financially and emotionally. The consequences of Labor and Delivery Complications can be numerous in possibilities and can be severe and long lasting, requiring years of medical treatment, loss of quality of life, and costly medical bills. It is important to ensure you have the assistance and care that you or your child deserves to live the best life possible. The Brannon Law Firm can help with that process.
At the Brannon Law Firm, our Dayton injury lawyers have represented many families and infants who were unfortunate victims of Labor and Delivery Complications. We have obtained favorable multi- million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients in Labor and Delivery Complication cases. We invite you to contact us, either at 937-228-2306 or 1-800-VERDICT for a free consultation. The Brannon Law Firm is proud to serve clients in Dayton and throughout the State of Ohio.