Birth Injuries
Compensation for mothers & babies at birthInjuries at Birth
Should something go wrong during the birth of your baby due to the negligence of a midwife, doctor or other healthcare professional, you might be entitled to make a claim for birth injury compensation. Below, we outline some of the birth injury claims we have dealt with.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury which affects the body’s movements and can be caused by the baby suffering a lack of oxygen during delivery. This can sometimes be as a result of mismanagement by medical professionals and the baby suffering from a lack of oxygen for a certain length of time. Cerebral palsy claims often result in high compensation pay-outs due to the expensive costs of treatment, therapy and equipment needed to manage the condition but once obtained the funds can significantly improve the sufferer’s quality of life. Please contact us if you think you might be eligible to make a claim for Cerebral Palsy compensation.
Forceps Delivery/Ventouse Delivery
Should the baby become distressed during the birth, a forceps delivery or ventouse delivery may be required to help pull the baby out. Each of these methods should be used only in specific circumstances with a trained medical professional present to advise on the most appropriate method. This is really important because if the wrong decision is made then there could be scarring to the baby’s face or head as well as nerve damage. If your baby has been injured in this way then you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Birth Defects
Types of birth defects include Down’s syndrome, holes in the heart and club feet and some are simple to diagnose using blood tests or scans. Tragically though, some birth defects do go undiagnosed and should a birth defect that is usually simple to diagnose not be detected by a healthcare professional, perhaps due to a lack of training or faulty scanning machine, you may be entitled to make a claim for birth injury compensation. Sometimes, a mother chooses to terminate a pregnancy rather than give birth to a child with a physical or mental disability and often compensation for these types of injuries goes some way to funding the costs associated with raising a disabled child.
Maternal Diabetes/Gestational Diabetes
Maternal diabetes (otherwise known as gestational diabetes) is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. The condition carries the risk of miscarriage or of the developing baby suffering birth defects if it is not spotted by a qualified health professional. It can also see the baby growing particularly large and lead to birth difficulties. If a healthcare professional fails to diagnose maternal diabetes and this leads to problems further down the line then you might be entitled to make a claim for birth injury compensation.
Pre-Eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia is serious condition which in very extreme circumstances can be fatal for both mother and baby. The condition is caused by a defect with the placenta and can have such serious implications because the placenta carries all necessary oxygen and nutrients to the baby. It can only be diagnosed by carrying out regular blood pressure checks and urine samples and is therefore vitally important for midwives to see expectant mothers for antenatal checks regularly. Should a healthcare professional fail to diagnose the condition and you or your baby suffer as a result, you might be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Congenital Hip Dysplasia
This is a condition which affects the hip joint and it is believed to be a genetic condition. All new-born babies should be screened for the condition, with checks also made at 6 months and intermittently when other development checks are carried out. If found early prognosis is good, however should it not be detected more complicated surgery might be required, with risks of complications in later life too. If your baby suffers as a result of negligent care, then you might be entitled to make a claim for compensation. h3>Episiotomy Cases An episiotomy refers to a surgical incision made to make the baby’s delivery easier should they be in distress or it is thought that the mother’s skin will tear without it. However, should a healthcare provider perform the episiotomy incorrectly or not at all when it is clear that it is needed, potentially leading to second or third degree tears to the skin or other problems such as incontinence, you might be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Erb’s Palsy/Brachial Plexus Injuries
The unborn baby’s size needs to be monitored during the entire pregnancy to make sure that appropriate plans can be made for the birth. For example, should the baby be much larger than normal and it is thought the usual methods of delivery will be insufficient then alternative arrangements can be made like a Cesarean section. If no action is taken and the baby is very big, the shoulders can get stuck during the birth, causing an injury or worse, death. In any case, you will be able to make a compensation claim for injuries such as this.
Claiming For Medical Negligence Compensation
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