A pregnant mother and her unborn baby are particularly vulnerable during pregnancy, at birth, and after birth. That is why such women trust professionals such as obstetricians, nurses, and anesthesiologists to take care of them. But when these professionals become negligent in their duties, the results can be catastrophic.
Birth injuries can be so devastating. About 7 in every 1000 infants in the U.S. will be born with a birth injury. This is a significant number considering the millions of kids born every year. Many of them can be attributed to medical negligence or medical malpractice. If you believe negligence led to your child’s birth injuries, get in touch with Thon Beck Vanni Callahan & Powell, A Professional Corporation for a free case review.
A skilled Pasadena personal injury attorney will help you throughout the process. We use our extensive legal experience to help Pasadena birth injury victims get the compensation they deserve.
What Is Medical Negligence During Birth?
Medical negligence or medical malpractice is a medical mistake done by a professional health care provider. When the professional’s performance of duties isn’t standard practice, it is considered negligence.
When a medical expert breaches the standard of care, it may lead to such errors. The common birth-related negligence issues include:
- Surgical errors
- Misdiagnosis
- Nursing errors
- Prescription errors
How Can Medical Negligence Lead to A Birth Injury?
A mother needs proper prenatal care to monitor the pregnancy for any risks or dangers. If your doctor doesn’t take the necessary steps, it may lead to a serious birth injury. Sometimes it may be challenging to prove negligence in a birth injury. But the Pasadena birth injury attorneys can investigate the case and show the connection between negligence and injury.
How to Know If Doctor Aced Negligently
You may not really know if the medical professional is responsible. You can only know this through a thorough investigation by skilled and qualified birth injury lawyers in California.
What are the common types of birth trauma and delivery injuries?
Some medical negligence cases will sometimes allow you and your baby to recover from birth injuries. But it’s not always the case because some cases may lead to lifelong medical and cognitive problems.
Some of the common birth injury types that may happen to the mother include:
To Mother
- Incontinence
- Injuries from incorrect suturing after caesarian section or episiotomy
- Uterine rupture
- Infection
- Leaving medical tools or supplies inside the mother
- Anesthesia complications
- Untreated or undetected preeclampsia leading to seizure during birth
- Hemorrhage
- Death
To Baby
Newborns are also vulnerable to birth injuries if the assigned medical professional is negligent.
Some types of birth injuries that may happen to a newborn include:
- Forceps delivery complications
Babies are put at risk of jaundice, skull fractures, cerebral palsy, hemorrhages, bruises of the baby’s head.
- Brain damage – Asphyxia, anoxia, hypoxia
It can sometimes lead to permanent disability like:
- Cognitive problems
- Cerebral palsy
- Development challenges
- Nervous system problems
- Damage to the cranial nerve or spinal cord due to improper pulling, stretching, or rotating.
It can lead to facial paralysis, paralysis of other body parts, and spinal cord injuries.
- Bone fractures
Infants have soft bones. They can break easily, especially in infants who are large in size.
- Intra-abdominal wound/ blunt abdominal injury
Damages internal organs and liver
- Hemorrhage
Also called bleeding of the brain. It may be caused by head injury, high blood pressure, or other reasons. This can lead to difficulties in speaking, moving, and learning. Sometimes, it may also develop into seizures and epilepsy in the child.
How Can I Identify a Birth Injury?
You may not easily notice a birth injury. But sometimes, they are clearly visible in broken bones, seizures, fractured skull, etc. But generally, if you notice excessive crying, abnormalities in the child’s condition like breathing, it could be a sign.
It’s best to visit a physician because there are other signs that an infant can’t communicate to the parent, like nausea, vision and hearing problems, or chronic pain. Some symptoms may take weeks, months or years to show. You may only realize them when the child starts missing developmental milestones like crawling, walking, or speaking. If you are suspicious of a birth injury, take the child to an independent physician.
Birth Injury Vs. Birth Defect
A birth defect often occurs while the baby is still in the womb due to chromosomal abnormalities or problems in the uterus. However, a birth injury often occurs during labor or when the baby is being delivered.
Genetics
There are instances when a doctor or hospital may be held responsible if they fail to detect an unborn child with a potential disability. It would also be negligent of them not to inform the parents that their child will be born with a genetic condition. Pasadena birth injury attorneys can also help you prove such a case.
Can A Birth Injury Lead to A Medical Negligence Lawsuit in Pasadena, CA?
Yes, birth injury victims can file a medical negligence lawsuit against the negligent doctor and the doctor’s hospital. However, California also allows you to file a prenatal tort action (wrongful birth and a wrongful life). Talk to a Pasadena birth injury lawyer to find out if you qualify for these.
What Is the Statute of Limitations to Bring a Birth Injury Claim in Pasadena?
Filing for a medical negligence case in California can range between 6 months and eight years. If the birth injury happened in a non-governmental institution, the deadline to file is eight years. But if it was in a California public health facility, it may be as short as six months.
Take action and discuss your case with a birth injury attorney in California to know how long you have before this filing time expires and where you should file for the birth injury lawsuit.
Compassionate and Smart Medical Negligence Attorneys in Pasadena, CA
Birth injuries caused by medical negligence can be so heartbreaking. And when you report such cases and file for a claim, you’re stopping it from happening to others by helping maintain high standards of care.
If you and your child have suffered such an injury, turn to a trusted Pasadena birth injury attorney at our injury law firm. Our job is to guide you through the complex process and ensure you get the deserved compensation to help you heal or cope with the new condition. Talk to us today to get started.
