Having a child is one of the most joyful times in a couple’s life. But pregnancy also carries risks that can lead to devastating birth injuries for not only babies, but the mothers who bear them. Sometimes, those injuries are due to medical errors that could have been prevented if qualified medical providers were present during delivery. A variety of errors can lead to injuries that can alter a mother’s health for years to come. That includes uterine rupture, infections, vaginal tears, anal fissures, episiostomy and excessive bleeding, C-sections, preeclampsia and negative reactions to epidurals and anesthesia.
Maternal Injuries and Their Consequences
According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, there were 5,917 fatal injuries to infants born in 2009. Of those deaths, 506 were determined to be due to complications during medical and surgical care, undetermined intent or other causes.
Mothers are not immune from life-threatening trauma that can occur during the intensity of labor. Some complications occur naturally, but others are avoidable or could easily be managed under the right medical circumstances.
Birth injuries to mothers can include:
- Uterine rupture: Sometimes the drugs used to induce labor can cause the expectant mother’s uterus to rupture, which poses life-threatening risks to both mother and child. Also, drugs used to induce labor can cause uterine ruptures when an overdose results in violent contractions.
- Vaginal tears: Painful tears occur when there is a rip in the skin or muscle on or near the vagina, typically in the area between the anus and the vagina. This type of injury can result when the baby’s head is too large or in a breech position, or if the mother has trouble controlling pushes.
- Anal fissures: Fissures occur when there is a tear in the lining of the anus. Fissures that do not heal can result in chronic pain and even surgery.
- Episiostomy: An episiostomy is a surgical incision used to enlarge the vagina to assist in childbirth, particularly when there are complications. However, improper suturing or infections can lead to excessive bleeding.
- Caesarean sections: Surgery to extract a child may have long-term consequences when surgical adhesions, or scar tissue, from previous C-sections makes a future delivery more complicated. Bleeding and infection are other risks for mothers.
- Preeclampsia: Failure to diagnose preeclampsia, or pregnancy-induced hypertension, can lead to death for both mother and child.
- Anesthesia and spinal epidurals: The National Vital Statistics Report states that 50 percent of women in Michigan elected to use some sort of pain relief during labor in 2008. Careful monitoring of a mother’s heart rate, oxygen levels and blood pressure when drugs are introduced is essential.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “there are no other circumstances in which it is considered acceptable for an individual to experience untreated severe pain, amenable to safe intervention, while under a physician’s care.”
The birth injuries attorneys at Michigan Injury Lawyers know that.
Contact Our Birth Injury Lawyers Today
Michigan Injury Lawyers is a full service law firm with a team of knowledgeable personal injury attorneys who are committed to obtaining the best possible financial results for our clients. Our attorneys have extensive experience in medical malpractice claims.
If you believe that you or a family member has suffered a birth-related injury, you may have grounds for a legal claim against the medical provider. Michigan Injury Lawyers represents victims of medical malpractice throughout the state. We have helped many victims in Michigan recover what was rightfully theirs. We can help you and your family, too.
Call Michigan Injury Lawyers at 313-438-4357 for a free evaluation of your claim.