It’s a reality that some children will be born with injuries that are not the fault of medical providers. However, others are injured before, during or after birth as a result of mistakes or negligence, and each of those children deserve justice for what they’ve gone through.
Medical errors can happen for a few reasons. One cause is trouble with communication. For example, a child may be healthy, but delivery could be taking too long. This could put a child into distress, and it could also threaten a mother’s life.
A team of medical providers should be prepared to perform surgery or use other techniques to save the mother’s and child’s lives, but if the necessary health care providers are not at the hospital or can’t be found, that lack of communication could lead to deaths or serious injuries.
Another error could happen by administering medications to the wrong child. For example, if two newborns are being kept near one another, it could be possible to mislabel their wristbands or to give a medication to the wrong child.
Birth defect or injury?
It is important to differentiate between natural birth defects and negligence-related injuries. Sometimes, it’s hard to know which one is the reality right away. Even if a doctor does everything right, birth is a complicated process with the potential for injuries and risky medical conditions.
Birth injuries can happen due to complications in labor or delivery. They can also happen as a result of using improper medical techniques. It’s believed that around five out of 1,000 babies are injured during birth.
Other estimates indicate that birth defects or irregularities are common in around 7 percent of babies. Some of these defects are minor, but others may be more severe and require monitoring. Some defects can be linked to medications given to the mother during pregnancy. If that’s the case, it may lead to a medical malpractice case, but there are many factors to consider before seeking penalties against the medical provider.
Know the laws regarding medical malpractice
No matter what has happened, if you feel that malpractice or negligence played a role in your injuries or the injuries to your child, it’s important to learn more about the conditions you are now forced to cope with. With enough evidence and support from other experts and witnesses, it’s possible to hold those responsible liable for any injuries they caused.