Birth Injuries Are Deadly

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 3,952,841 babies were born in the United States of America during the 2012 calendar year.  The majority of those births were through natural delivery; however, the cesarean delivery rate was 32.8%.  The preterm birth rate was 11.55%.  And the low birthweight rate was7.99%.  Again, these statistics are for the year 2012.

Experienced birth injury medical malpractice attorneys practicing civil litigation in the greater Hudson Valley regions of New York State understand that most mothers will give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby.  With that said, it is also known that some mothers and babies will experience medical complications, some life enduring, and others life ending.  Some of these medical complications will be caused by the acts of a negligent medical professional while the baby was in gestation, during delivery, and even after the baby is born.

One major gestational preventable medical error is a doctor’s failure to detect fetal distress.  Simply monitoring an unborn baby’s heart rate and properly diagnosing gestational diabetes can keep a baby safer from undue injury.  Doctor’s, however, have been known to negligently monitor and diagnose such.

Fetal distress can indicate many things, but one main concern is oxygen deprivation.  If a baby in gestation is deprived of oxygen, the child can develop cerebral palsy for example.

During the birthing process, the baby can be negligently injured in many ways.  For example, negligent use of forceps has been known to injure babies, cause brain damage, and even cause death.  Other times, a baby becomes “stuck” and doctors and nurses pull too hard to remove the baby.  This can cause Erb’s Palsy, which will cause the child to have an impaired ability to use their elbows and shoulders.

Post delivery, the babies should be monitored closely.  Numerous procedures, exams, and post birth tests are supposed to be conducted; they are simply the protocols that the medical profession as a whole requires of nurses and medical practitioners.

Unfortunately, hospitals can be over full, staff can become overworked and overtired, and even insufficiently trained physicians can be allowed to monitor babies without the proper supervision from a more experienced doctor.

All of the above will tarnish and destroy the high hopes held by the proud and expecting parents.  The law provides help for these parents and they can expect compensation for their and their child’s injuries.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.