It is every mother and father’s dream to have a healthy baby. But when things go wrong, parents should know what rights they have and what action can be taken. This is where it would be helpful to contact a birth injury law firm. If the parents and lawyers are looking at medical malpractice negligence could be to blame. The Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, states that medical negligence is the third highest cause of death in the United States, with cancer and heart disease leading before it. If the baby is born with birth defects or injuries caused by the labor, delivery, or pre-existing conditions that the doctors should have caught, a birth injury law firm will be able to assess and determine liability.
How do I know if I need a medical malpractice lawyer?
A birth injury law firm will consider a malpractice lawsuit if, after investigation of the facts, it is determined that the baby’s injuries could have been prevented. Some actions that doctors may have failed to take, that could contribute to issues at birth, are detecting any infections the mother may have while pregnant, properly monitoring the heart rate of the fetus during the birth process, and planning a Cesarean section when necessary, among many other things.
What can that negligence result in?
The above mentioned oversights, along with not detecting a prolapsed umbilical cord, or one that drops ahead of the baby to get trapped against the body, can lead to cerebral palsy, a devastating birth disorder that will change the course of the new child’s life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, approximates that around one in every 323 kids in the United States have cerebral palsy, to varying degrees. Cerebral palsy is typically caused by brain damage during pregnancy or birth, and it impacts the child’s motor skills, movement, and muscle tone, often making it difficult if not impossible to walk. But cerebral palsy isn’t the only birth defect. An average of 28,000 babies every year are born with some kind of birth injury, which boils down to about three birth injuries every hour.
Medical malpractice and negligence are serious issues. Parents can sue hospital staff not only for the physical issues, medical expenses and educational therapy, but also for the emotional trauma suffered in the process. Delivering a baby is a big deal. It should be done right, so that the main emotions after the birth are elation and joy.