Did your baby encounter a brain injury at birth?
Usually, birth injuries occur because of complications that arise during childbirth, and the physician in charge may not have used proper medical procedures to assist in a safe delivery of the baby. Brain injuries are one of the most common forms of damages newborns endure. A brain injury during birth generally happens because of lack of oxygen to the baby.
Brain injuries develop because of lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain. The reason for lack of oxygen to a baby is usually due to an entangled umbilical cord around the baby’s neck. When this situation arises, the attending physician should be prepared to assist with the delivery in a careful yet quick manner. The longer a baby goes without adequate oxygen to his or her brain, the more serious a brain injury he or she will have.
Was my baby’s brain injury during birth a result of medical malpractice?
In some instances, brain injuries or other forms of birth injuries occur for no apparent reason and no one is to blame for them. However, a number of injuries to newborns are due to medical malpractice. Below is a list of proper procedures and conduct doctors are supposed to follow during delivery:
• Be prepared for any complications that can occur during childbirth, especially with larger babies
• Respond suitably to hemorrhaging
• Act quickly, yet carefully when an umbilical cord is wrapped around a baby’s neck
• Respond in a timely and appropriate manner if fetal distress occurs – Ex: abnormalities with a baby’s heart rate
• Use forceps or vacuum extraction equipment properly
• Order a C-section when necessary, without delay and only if it is medically necessary
• Administer medications suitably (Medications for inducing labor, such as Pitocin, are sometimes used improperly.)
If you believe your physician may not have followed proper procedures and your baby was harmed, contact Goldberg & Osborne to get a free evaluation of your case.
Goldberg & Osborne serve clients in Arizona and have been practicing personal injury law for over 20 years. Our law attorneys have experience with brain injury during birth claims, medical malpractice and personal injury claims. We encourage you to contact us by phone, at our toll free number, or fill out and submit our brief online form. Every state has a statute of limitations for personal injury and medical negligence cases. We encourage you to contact us as soon as possible, to ensure your case gets filed before the time statute of limitations deadline expires. (800) 318-6316.
