When a woman checks into a hospital to deliver her baby, the hope is that there will be no complications. But even if all precautions are taken in advance, there is a chance that things may not go as planned in the delivery room. Careful consideration should be given...
Birth Injuries
Certain circumstances could make forceps delivery an option
An expectant mother can have many worries leading up to the birth of her child. Of paramount concern is the baby’s health. Hopefully, when the time arrives, the infant will be delivered without complications. Modern medical equipment and procedures help to ensure that...
What is shoulder dystocia?
There are a variety of different problems that could arise during birth, and unfortunately, some of these incidents are related to medical mistakes. One of the most serious emergencies experienced by doctors in Arizona is known as shoulder dystocia. This occurs after...
Compensation for Arizonans with brachial plexus nerve damage
A brachial plexus injury is an often severe form of birth injury that is caused by physical trauma to the brachial plexus nerve cluster. These injuries are classified into three categories, including stretch, rupture and avulsion. These classifications describe the...
What is Erb’s palsy?
Because it is a rare birth injury, Arizona parents might not be familiar with the condition known as Erb's palsy. Also known as brachial plexus birth palsy, this condition typically results from difficult deliveries and may affect movement and feeling in an infant's...
Doctors should work carefully to prevent birth injuries
An ancient Chinese text known as the Tao Te Ching offers the following instructions to midwives: “You are a birth servant. Do good without show or fuss.” Though this quote is thousands of years old, it can hold true for today’s doctors who help women deliver their...
The possible causes and effects of hypoxia
Expectant parents can generally feel confident that the delivery of their baby in a hospital or other health care facility will happen without incident. Serious birth injuries can be prevented by the ability of doctors to respond quickly and properly to potential...
Why are more doctors failing to warn about environmental risks?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, exposure to toxic substances such as solvents and heavy metals can be harmful to a pregnant mother and her child because they can cause birth defects, developmental complications and even miscarriages. But according to a...
Preeclampsia: the birth injury that women should be warned about
Imagine that you are a new mother. You have just delivered your first child without incident. But only days after being released from the hospital you experience dizziness, excessive nausea and vomiting, your reflexes have slowed and you're suffering from more severe...
Could hospitals do more to detect brain damage after birth?
After a baby is born, most parents want to know how their child is doing. Are they breathing properly? Were there any complications? And while most parents are relieved to hear that their child was born without incident, for some parents this isn’t the case and a...