Birth Injuries
See Also : Clinical
Negligence | MRSA | Cosmetic
Surgery |
Cancer Misdiagnosis | Birth
Injuries | Gynaecological
Errors | Surgical Errors
Nursing Neglect
Common mistakes made by doctors when delivering babies
include a delay in performing the birth by caesarean section
where necessary, incorrect delivery, delivery with excessive
force or a miscalculation of the infants' size, resulting
in a traumatic delivery.
The most serious non-fatal injuries are those to the infant's
brain. Brain damage to a baby can be caused by a restriction
of oxygen supply or bleeding in the brain caused by trauma
during the delivery
Every day in the UK babies suffer some form of birth injury
which has happened either before, during or shortly after
the birth. Common injuries include skin irritation, fractures
to the infant's arm, collarbone or shoulder, brain damage,
cerebral palsy, Erbs palsy and brachial plexus palsy
Complications during pregnancy, labour and delivery can
all injure a newly-born baby. While some natural causes
can result in birth injury, there are many reasons why a
baby may be harmed including negligence by a doctor, hospital
staff or other member of the medical or nursing profession
There are many routine tests which should be performed
during pregnancy to monitor and evaluate a baby's health.
With higher-risk pregnancies, these tests and procedures
are even more vital. If the pre-natal care/testing and delivery
is not handled correctly this can lead to a medical negligence
claim.
Some shortcomings which can lead to negligence claims are:
- Injury to the mother by failing to identify a vaginal
tear following giving birth
- Failure to detect abnormalities in the foetus at the
20-week stage
- Incorrect suturing following episiotomies
- Injury to the mother by failure to manage pre-eclampsia
after delivery
If you think you may have cause for a medical negligence
claim, please call 0800 043 8884 for an informal chat to
discuss your situation or simply fill in our online form
on this page. |
