A placental abruption is a serious medical complication that can occur in pregnancy. In a normal birth, the placenta delivers after a baby is born. With a placental abruption, the placenta detaches itself from the uterine wall before a baby is delivered. Both the mother and baby can suffer dire health consequences in a placental abruption.
If you or your loved one experienced a placental abruption during pregnancy or delivery, you could benefit from a consultation with a Newburgh placental abruption lawyer. You might be eligible to receive financial compensation in a birth injury claim.
Understanding Placental Abruptions
The placenta plays a crucial role in a baby’s development since it carries oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. It also helps prevent infections, supplies hormones that support the pregnancy, and helps develop the umbilical cord. A placental abruption can cut off the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the baby. Placental abruption typically occurs near the end of a pregnancy or during the stress of the labor process, but it can happen any time after the midpoint of pregnancy.
The separation from the uterine wall can be either partial or complete. The mother can suffer from heavy blood loss, and the baby can suffer from a lack of blood flow and oxygen. When a placenta separates from the uterus, doctors cannot reattach it. If there is only a small partial separation, a medical team can try to take action to prevent the partial separation from turning into a complete abruption. When a doctor suspects a patient has suffered a partial abruption, they can sometimes prevent a crisis by ordering the mother to go on bedrest. With a complete abruption, an emergency C-section is usually the best hope of saving both the mother and child.
After suffering a placental abruption, a family could understand their legal options by consulting with a Newburgh lawyer.
How to Diagnose a Placental Separation
Sometimes, placental abruptions occur without warning. In those situations, there is nothing that a doctor could have done to prevent the abruption. When a mother suffers a sudden and unexpected abruption, doctors must act quickly by performing a cesarean. Other times, expectant mothers present with risk factors, that make them more likely to suffer an abruption. Mothers might have any of the following risk factors:
- Smoke or use drugs during their pregnancies
- Are of advanced maternal age
- Have high blood pressure
- Are pregnant with multiples
- Present with uterine abnormalities
- Suffer some sort of abdominal trauma, such as during an automobile crash or bad fall
Physicians should observe and examine their patients to look for signs and symptoms of abruption, such as bright red bleeding and a firm abdomen. If a patient shows signs of a placental separation during pregnancy, doctors could use an ultrasound to look for signs of abruption. During labor, they should also watch for drops or changes in the fetal heart rate.
A compassionate placental abruption lawyer in Newburgh could examine what happened to a patient and let them know if they have legal grounds to pursue a legal case against their physician, midwife, nurse, or hospital.
Meet with a Newburgh Placental Abruption Attorney
Early detection and quick intervention are the keys to avoiding serious complications for a mother and a child in a placental abruption situation. If you exhibited symptoms of an abruption, and your doctor ignored those signs, which led to an injury, you could be eligible to sue for compensation. Similarly, if your doctor diagnosed you with an abruption and failed to take measures to intervene quickly, you might have a valid legal claim.
Meet with an experienced Newburgh placental abruption lawyer to discuss the facts of your case. Let them help you fight to recover monetary damages that you deserve.