There are a lot of emotions surrounding the birth of a child. Parents may be nervous, excited, and overwhelmed to meet their baby. They trust in doctors and nurses to provide them with the highest quality of care in order to make sure nothing goes wrong during the delivery process. Unfortunately, birth injuries happen all too often simply because of the negligence of a medical professional. When a doctor or nurse is negligent, their errors may result in the baby becoming seriously injured and facing lifelong consequences.
There are a number of ways that a birth injury can be caused. Birth injuries can take place before, during, or after the delivery. A good example that has a lot of opportunities for a birth injury to arise is when the baby is too large and the mother is very small. Expectant mothers are required to go to doctor’s appointments regularly in the months leading up to the birth. Therefore, doctors should know in advance if the baby is going to be too large to be delivered without assistance. If a baby is over 10 pounds, the doctors should recommend that the mother undergoes a C-section. If the doctor fails to make such a recommendation, the mother may find it extremely difficult or impossible to deliver the baby. A large baby can get stuck in the birth canal, which can cause other problems to arise. If a baby is stuck, the doctors may need to use forceps or a vacuum extractor to help the delivery move along. However, if a doctor makes an error in using these tools or pulls on the baby to get them out of the birth canal, there may be a serious injury. Some of these injuries can include Erb’s Palsy, brain injuries, and other problems.
If your family has been impacted by a birth injury, contact our firm today.