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3 Ways Hospital Staff Can Contribute To A Birth Injury

On Behalf of | Aug 31, 2022 | Medical Malpractice

Birth injuries are relatively rare. Most new mothers go through labor with few complications, and their newborns are healthy once they start gaining weight. However, sometimes the birthing process results in serious injuries.

Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals at an obstetric facility may make mistakes that can hurt either the mother or her unborn child. There are infinite possible scenarios that may lead to tragic outcomes during labor and delivery.

Certain kinds of mistakes are more likely than others to resolve in a birth injury. What are some of the most frequent medical mistakes that cause birth injuries?

Inadequate fetal monitoring

An unborn baby has no way to communicate with the outside world. They can’t tell their mother or the professionals presiding over the birth about their discomfort or inability to breathe when they turn and compress the umbilical cord, for example.

Adequate fetal monitoring is crucial for the well-being of a baby during the labor process. Proper fetal monitoring can help staff members recognize when a baby is in distress and can be the difference between them intervening in time and delays that lead to lasting injuries.

Not listening to the mother

Doctors and nurses have a tendency to be dismissive of women in labor, in part because they lack medical training and also because the pain and stress of the labor process may compromise their rational thinking.

However, when doctors and nurses act in a manner completely contradictory to what a woman says she would prefer with a tragic outcome or when they ignore a woman raising red flags about, for example, post-delivery bleeding, they increase the possibility of a severely negative outcome for the mother or child.

Administering inappropriate interventions

Sometimes, a timely cesarean section could prevent a birth injury. However, unnecessary interventions like drug administration or a C-section early in the birth process may increase the chances of serious complications for mother or child. Especially when the doctor utilizes drugs in an off-label manner or they misused interventions like forceps, they can cause direct harm to both mother and child.

Realizing that medical professionals are responsible for some birth injuries might give you the motivation you need to hold the hospital accountable for what could actually be medical malpractice.