Common Mistakes During Labor and Delivery Leading to Birth Injuries

The birth of a child is one of (if not the most important) moment in a parent’s life. While this moment is supposed to one filled with joy, sadly all too often this moment is filled with trauma when a baby suffers an unexpected birth injury. Birth injuries can be catastrophic, leaving both the parents and the child’s lives forever changed. While any birth injury can be difficult to emotionally deal with regardless of the cause, it can be incredibly difficult to know that the injury could have been prevented. When a preventable birth injury occurs, it is considered to be negligence for mistakes during labor and delivery.  

 

If this happens to you, call our experienced medical malpractice lawyer in Bend, Oregon for help recovering compensation.  We can help victims recover for their pain and suffering, medical bills, and lost wages, but also for their innocent child’s medical bills, future needs, pain and suffering, and other damages.  Learn how we can help you and your family during a FREE consultation with our compassionate team.  We handle birth injuries that cause permanent and disabling injuries, including those that could affect a loved one’s entire life.

 

What is a Birth Injury?

 

A birth injury is an injury that occurs during the birth of a baby or shortly after, leading to an injury. Some birth injuries may be mild and short-lived such as bruising, while others can be permanent. Examples of common birth injuries include the following:

 

• Cerebral palsy – This is a birth injury often caused by oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery or shortly after.
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy – This is a severe type of birth injury due to oxygen deprivation and lack of blood flow during labor and delivery. This type of brain damage is often quite severe, and children often require some degree of lifelong assistance. 
• Bruising
• Scarring or disfigurement due to injuries at birth (i.e. inappropriate use of forceps, vacuum extractor, or scalpel during a c-section)
• Kernicterus – This is due to mismanagement of jaundice, a very treatable condition. Babies with kerniecterus suffer from severe and irreversible brain damage. 
• Brachial plexus injuries – This type of birth injury is often caused by inappropriate tugging, pulling, grabbing or yanking, or use of excessive force of the baby’s head, shoulders or neck during delivery. Failure to assess for cephalopelvic disproportion is another cause of brachial plexus injuries. Babies with brachial plexus injuries can have pain as well as impaired movement that can be permanent and disabling. 
• Broken bones or fractures – This can occur if there is inappropriate manipulation of the baby during delivery, or if the baby is dropped upon delivery. In the event of cephalopelvic disproportion, this can lead to broken bones or fractures if the physician does not move on to performing a c-section. 
• Brain damage – Brain damage can occur for a variety of reasons, but common causes of brain damage due to mistakes made during labor and delivery include failure to intervene when there are signs of fetal distress and failure to properly resuscitate or oxygenate a newborn with respiratory distress at birth. 
• Stillbirth
• Seizures – seizures are typically due to either oxygen deprivation, or mismanaged hypoglycemia at birth. Both of these causes are preventable with proper medical care. 
• Erb’s palsy – This is a type of brachial plexus injury that is caused by inappropriate manipulation of the baby during birth.
• Learning disabilities – While this is not immediately apparent, babies can suffer from learning disabilities due to loss of oxygen at birth or due to prematurity. While premature birth is not necessarily due to medical malpractice, failure to stop pre-term labor when possible is considered medical malpractice. 

 

Common Mistakes Made Leading to Birth Injuries

 

There are many mistakes that medical providers can make leading to birth injuries. Common mistakes leading to birth injuries include the following:

 

• Inappropriate use of labor induction techniques
• Inappropriate use of forceps or vacuum extractor
• Failure to identify signs of fetal distress
• Failure to stop preterm labor
• Failure to recognize signs of uterine rupture
• Failure to intervene and recognize signs of maternal distress
• Failure to properly manage neonatal hypoglycemia 
• Failure to manage jaundice leading to kernicterus
• Brain damage such as subarachnoid hemorrhages, cerebral hemorrhages, Orr cephalohematomas due to birth trauma
• Failure to identify signs of cephalopelvic disproportion prior to delivery
• Failure to schedule a necessary c-section leading to harm
• Aggressively or abnormally twisting or turning the baby during delivery
• Vaginal delivery of a baby in the breech or transverse position
• Inappropriate use of fundal pressure
• Failure to identify respiratory distress with the need to resuscitate, leading to brain injury or death
• Failure to identify jaundice leading to kernicterus
• Failure to intervene in the setting of prolonged or arrested labor
• Failure to recognize and treat issues with umbilical cord prolapse
• Mishandling of the baby shortly after birth, leading to harm
• Failing to monitor variability or decelerations leading to harm
• Failing to handle any complication appropriately leading to harm

 

Did Mistakes During Labor and Delivery Cause Birth Injuries For You and Your Family?  Call Us For Help

 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.

 

Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton,  Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles,  St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.

 

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.