Birth injuries are relatively uncommon. Furthermore, you or your infant would likely recover from most minor issues in a matter of weeks or months. However, birth is still by no means a safe process.
Any birth injury you or your infant may sustain could be the result of medical malpractice. Here are some major warning signs that a mistake could have occurred.
1. Assisted extraction
The use of vacuum extraction or forceps to assist a baby through the birth canal is no longer very common. Its potential to cause nerve damage or broken bones in the infant, as well as damage to the mother, has been a major reason for its decline in popularity. It is usually important to investigate this procedure if you had a serious birth injury.
2. C-section
Having a C-section is often the best way for certain mothers to avoid injury or even death to themselves or their children. However, these procedures carry a great deal of risk and must be performed carefully. If the C-section resulted in undue injuries, or if someone delayed the process and the unborn child suffered from a lack of oxygen, there could be serious repercussions for the negligent caregivers involved.
3. Long labor
Long and difficult births are normal for some mothers, but for others, depending on the position of the fetus prior to labor, there may be a medical reason to assist delivery in some way. There are many factors involved, but a failure to identify a problematic birth could result in lasting nerve damage, especially to a child’s shoulder or arm.
There would usually be no way to know you have a medical mistake in your case until you perform a thorough investigation. Doctors have relatively well-defined standards by which they operate, and deviation from these could mean someone along the way made a mistake. With all the parties involved, you would need to examine your situation before beginning the process of getting justice for your injuries.