Have you recently given birth and you and/or your newborn have suffered an injury due to the medical team’s negligence or mistake? If so, you are undoubtedly dealing with a host of negative emotions and may be struggling to get the care you and your newborn need. Understanding the injury that occurred and why can help you determine if you deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages from missing work, and your pain and suffering. This is the point when a birth injury lawyer comes in as it’s difficult to receive the compensation you need on your own.
Here are the different types of birth injuries and when it’s time to call a birth injury lawyer.
Injuries That Occur Before Birth
Some injuries due to medical malpractice can occur during pregnancy. If a mother develops obesity, high blood pressure, an infection, or diabetes and is not treated for these conditions, it could lead to loss of the baby, loss of the mother’s life, or a compromised birth that injures either the mother or newborn or both.
Injuries That Occur During Birth
Medical malpractice by doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals in the delivery room can be dangerous or even fatal. Some of the possible acts of negligence include failing to perform a needed C-section, failing to properly monitor the baby’s heartbeat or not detecting fetal distress in time, using a vacuum or forceps incorrectly, failure to treat severe bleeding, and twisting or pulling too hard on the baby as he or she passes through the birth canal.
Injuries That Occur After Birth
Even when a baby has been successfully delivered, medical malpractice can still occur if medical professionals fail to diagnose and treat jaundice, fail to treat a uterine rupture or excessive bleeding, or fail to properly monitor the baby’s vital signs.
Mistakes or negligence before, during, and after birth can lead to a host of injuries to the baby and/or the mother. Common birth injuries to a newborn include brain damage, jaundice, skull fractures, spinal cord injuries, death, damage to the brain that leads to cerebral palsy, and twisting, stretching, or pulling of the nerves that leads to Erb’s palsy. Common injuries to a mother include death, chronic pain, and incontinence.
When to Call a Birth Injury Lawyer
If you have recently had a baby and an injury has occurred to your newborn or to yourself, you need to call an experienced birth injury lawyer. Even if you do not know if the injuries were caused by medical malpractice, it’s still a good idea to call an attorney so he or she can discuss the case with you and find out if there is cause for them to pursue a settlement or attempt to take the case to court. An experienced attorney will know how to search for evidence and prove negligence if it occurred so you can receive the compensation you deserve.
When searching for the right birth injury lawyer, ask around for referrals, read online reviews, and schedule consultations to learn more about their experience and communication skills and to talk with them more about your unique situation quiketalk.
