Is Poor Prenatal Care Responsible for Your Child’s Birth Injury?

Women who are trying to conceive and expectant mothers have a lot going on with their mind and body. A doctor’s support is invaluable, and trusting that you are in the hands of a good obstetrician should be a given. The administration of the standard of care throughout a pregnancy is designed to ensure that a mother and her infant are healthy, free of infection, and likely to deliver normally. When things go wrong, it’s crucial to ask whether the person providing prenatal care was negligent and a direct cause of your child’s birth injury.

5 Prenatal Complications That Can Cause a Birth Injury

Quality prenatal care is critical for both mother and baby. A pregnancy may be progressing normally, but if a doctor skips an important test or sonogram, misdiagnoses a condition, or a problem goes undiagnosed, this could lead to premature birth, complications during delivery, birth injury, and even death.

Here are five prenatal complications that can cause a birth injury:

1. Not using a cervical cerclage. It is a doctor’s responsibility to determine if a woman at risk of preterm birth will carry a child to term with a cervical cerclage. This stitching is typically called for if a woman has a short or incompetent cervix, a pregnancy with multiples, or previous cervix complications.
2. Gestational diabetes. Some women develop extremely heightened blood sugar levels in pregnancy, a sign of gestational diabetes. If not under control, this condition can put mother and baby at risk for long-term health problems and other complications. Testing for gestational diabetes should be administered to every pregnant woman and, if positive, should be treated with efforts like diet changes and delivery by C-section.
3. Group B strep. Group B strep is a bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina. If improperly diagnosed, the pregnancy infection can be passed on to the child during a vaginal delivery and lead to meningitis, sepsis, or other serious complications that can result in developmental disabilities and other life-changing conditions like cerebral palsy.
4. Placental problems. Failure to diagnose any placenta problem – the life blood of a fetus – can lead to severe health problems for mother and baby. In placenta previa, the placenta is attached to the wrong part of the uterus. In placental abruption, the placenta peels away from the wall of the uterus. In placental insufficiency, the placenta is damaged or not properly developed.
5. Preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is the precursor to eclampsia, which is a pregnancy condition causing seizures that is dangerous for both mother and baby. A woman’s doctor should diagnose high blood pressure and follow the standard of care to treat preeclampsia to prevent premature birth or decreased flow of oxygen.

If you have been the victim of medical negligence as a result of poor prenatal care, or if your child has suffered a birth injury that could have been prevented with the proper standard of prenatal care, schedule a consultation with the birth injury lawyers at Thurswell Law to discuss your situation. Get the compensation you deserve. We do not charge any fees unless you collect. Call (248) 354-2222 today.