When Premature Deliveries Are The Result Of Negligence
Premature delivery can occur at any time between 26 weeks and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Delivery before 26 weeks could carry a significant risk of long-term neurologic injury for a newborn.
If you suspect that your child’s premature delivery was caused by negligence on the part of an Oregon physician, we can help. At the Law Office of Robert A. Miller, we have years of experience serving birth injury clients in Eugene, greater Portland and surrounding areas, and we will use that experience to help you get the support you need for yourself and your child.
An Experienced Premature Delivery Attorney
A fetus may be medically viable near the end of the second trimester. However, premature birth should be avoided unless absolutely necessary to save the baby or prevent harm to the mother. A non-stress test and regular ultrasounds should be performed to ensure that the child is healthy, or to detect and treat fetal distress.
Since the lungs of a newborn mature between 32 and 34 weeks, any delivery before 32 weeks presents a risk of immature lungs – which may then result in a lack of oxygen to the brain after delivery. Medical negligence can be a major factor in a premature delivery case.
Dangers that arise in the third trimester include group B strep infection, which is treated with antibiotics if discovered; preeclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension, which is treatable if diagnosed; and gestational diabetes, which is treated through diet, exercise and weight loss.
If a birth injury resulted from a premature delivery, we will confer with medical specialists as to what tests were performed in the third trimester; whether arrangements were made for preterm induction or a C-section; instructions from the doctor relative to bed rest; monitoring of the cervix, water sac and uterus; steps to avoid preterm labor; and dispensing of steroids to a premature baby before preterm birth. We know how doctors and hospitals are often unwilling to hear your voice after you have been injured, and we will work to make your voice heard.
Learn More About How We Can Help
Were you the victim of medical malpractice in an Oregon delivery room? Call toll-free to speak with an experienced Oregon premature delivery attorney at 541-359-4331. You can also contact us online. If you need an evening or weekend appointment, we can provide it.