Labor and delivery complications can harm both the mother and the baby. And they can be fatal to either. In fact, the U.S. has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the industrialized world. According to ProPublica, 700 to 900 mothers die each year of causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. And for every death, up to 70 surviving mothers suffer serious complications. Labor and delivery complications are not always preventable, but many are, and when they are you need the help of an experienced medical malpractice attorney.
Medical Mistakes Leading to Labor and Delivery Complications
- Failure to detect and treat preeclampsia
- Failure to detect and treat maternal diabetes
- Failure to detect and treat placental abruption
- Failure to prevent and control hemorrhaging
- Failure to perform timely C-section
- Failure to properly monitor fetus
- Failure to respond to fetal distress
- Improper use of delivery tools
- Prescribing or administering the wrong medication during pregnancy
- Improper use of anesthesia
- Improper use of Pitocin
Getting Help
Whether you are a parent whose child was injured or died as a result of labor and delivery complications, or the loved one of a mother who died in childbirth or is now permanently injured, you need answers. Medical negligence is not always involved in labor and delivery complications, but it often is. When medical malpractice is involved you may be able to recover compensation that can pay for your child or loved one’s medical care, special needs your child may have due to their injuries, and help taking care of a child whose mother died or was injured to the point that she cannot care for the child on her own.
To learn more about labor and delivery complications and how you can get legal help, please contact an experienced birth injury attorney right away.