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Fear Your Baby's Medical Issues Are Related To The Delivery? 4 Medical Issues That Can Lead To Birth Injuries

When you go to the hospital to deliver your baby, you expect everything to go as planned. You anticipate delivering a happy, healthy baby, especially if the pregnancy was without complications. Unfortunately, accidents can happen during delivery, which can lead to birth injuries for your baby. If those birth injuries are the result of the doctor's actions, there may be cause for a medical malpractice case. Here are four common causes for birth injuries. If your baby was injured as a result of any of the problems discussed below, you should speak to a birth injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Failure to Identify Fetal Distress

As soon as you get to the hospital, your medical care team should begin monitoring the health of your baby. In fact, the doctor should have been monitoring its condition throughout the pregnancy, especially during the last few weeks. Failure to identify fetal distress can lead to serious birth injuries for your baby. If your doctor, or health care team, failed to identify fetal distress, such as deceleration of heart rate during contractions, your baby could have suffered injuries due to loss of oxygen.

Misuse of Forceps or Vacuum Extraction

When a baby is in the birth canal for too long, doctors often opt to use mechanical options for delivery, such as forceps or vacuum extraction devices. Unfortunately, when those devices are used improperly, babies can suffer injuries to their heads, necks, and spine. This is particularly true if the devices are used on babies that are less than 34 weeks gestational age. If your baby was injured during delivery, and your doctor used forceps or a vacuum extractor, you need to contact an attorney as soon as possible.

Delay in Ordering C-Section

There are times when a c-section becomes necessary, such as when the mother or baby is in distress, or labor fails to progress properly. It's up to the doctor to determine when a c-section is necessary. If the doctor waits too long to proceed to a c-section, serious complications can arise. If your doctor delayed ordering a c-section, and your baby suffered birth injuries as a result, you should contact an attorney.

Improper Medication Used During Labor

There are a variety of medications used during labor and delivery, including pitocin, which is used to get labor started, or make contractions more effective. Unfortunately, misuse of pitocin can lead to oxygen deprivation, and brain injuries for your unborn baby. If your doctor used pitocin during your labor, and your baby suffered a birth injury, you need to sit down with an attorney immediately.


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