If your child suffered a birth injury after medical professionals mismanaged a high-risk pregnancy, you may want to consider filing a claim to hold the responsible parties legally accountable for the harm they caused.
Defining “High Risk”
High-risk pregnancies involve special circumstances that should be dealt with according to accepted standards of obstetric care. In some cases, ultrasound testing and the mother’s health history reveal factors that can create elevated risk for both mom and baby during childbirth. For example, pregnant women with gestational diabetes or women who have had complications during previous pregnancies would fall into the high-risk category. A heart murmur, high blood pressure, or high-birth-weight are all factors that can increase the likelihood that complications will occur.
In other cases, emergency situations arise during labor, creating a need for high-risk treatment. For example, umbilical cord strangulation or breech positioning can create a dangerous situation that requires immediate action, such as ordering a C-section.
Birth Injuries Resulting From High-Risk Pregnancy
Without proper supervision, even a small risk factor can endanger both mother and infant. Failure to properly manage a high-risk pregnancy can cause all types of birth injuries, including those stemming from lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain like cerebral palsy, and physical trauma such as Erb’s palsy.
Legal Action For Mismanagement
Whether you were considered a high-risk pregnancy before you gave birth, or your labor and delivery team should have treated you as high-risk, you may have a valid birth injury claim. Mistakes during a high-risk pregnancy may be considered medical malpractice according to the current laws.
An experienced birth injury legal team will review the details of your delivery, investigate to fill in any unanswered birth injury questions, and work to build a strong case based on the facts revealed during the investigation.
To learn more about high-risk pregnancies and other causes of birth injury, please contact the Goldwater Law Firm, PC today.
