Phoenix Birth Injury Lawyers Handling Forceps and Extractor Injury Claims
Fighting for Arizona mothers and children harmed during labor and delivery
Neglect, fatigue, lack of proper training or good judgment, and fatigue can all cause medical personnel to make life-altering mistakes during labor and delivery. While everyone makes mistakes at times, there is no room for medical personnel to make mistakes when they are assisting a mother during labor and delivery. In childbirth, mothers and their families put a lot of trust into the doctors and healthcare professionals to act in the best interest of their patients. If you believe your trusted healthcare professional made an incorrect decision during the birth of your child that ultimately caused serious risks and injuries for you or the baby, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact the experienced Phoenix birth injury lawyers of Plattner Verderame, P.C.to learn more about filing your claim.
Risks of forceps delivery to baby
To reduce stress, injury, and complications caused during prolonged labor, medical professionals may use the assistance of medical implements to help deliver the baby. When used properly, these devices often help medical personnel safely deliver the child. However, when these devices are used improperly or when medical personnel are not taking their time, they can yield some of the most serious and traumatic risks including:
- Brain damage
- Cerebral palsy
- Brachial plexus palsy
- Facial injury from pressure of forceps
- Temporary weakness of facial muscles
- External eye trauma
- Skull fracture
- Bleeding in the skull
- Seizures
The severity of these risks varies from one newborn to the next. It would all depend on the device used and the way that it was used that could have potentially caused a skull fracture, brain damage, or any other serious issues for the baby. In many instances, these medical conditions are immediately noticeable to medical staff and the mother. However, there are times when the parents may not know that their child has brain damage or cerebral palsy until the child gets a bit older and is not reaching certain milestones at an appropriate age.
These risks that are associated with the use of forceps and other extraction devices can lead to health problems that last a lifetime and drastically alter a child’s way of life. A child born with cerebral palsy may not be able to function the same way that a healthy child of the same age would function. In fact, children with cerebral palsy may need years of physical therapy and occupational therapy to help improve their muscle tone and make living with the condition a bit more manageable.
Children with brain damage or other congenital disorders are often unable to walk or do much of anything on their own. When a woman is pregnant, she often thinks of all the things her child will do over the years, such as learning to walk, learning to ride a bike, going to school for the first time, going to prom, getting married, and even getting his or her first job. These are the kinds of things that parents often look forward to when they know they are having a child. However, these things may be stripped away from the child and the parents because of medical mistakes that are made during the delivery of the baby.
Risks of forceps delivery to mother
- Uterine rupture
- Weakening of the muscles and ligaments supporting pelvic organs
- Pain in perineum
- Urinary or fecal incontinence
The baby is not the only one who can suffer from the use of these medical devices during labor and delivery. Unfortunately, women can experience several health issues because of the mistakes that are made by the medical personnel. Uterine rupture can lead to excessive bleeding and pain for the woman. It is a serious condition that has the potential to cause death in a woman. Even if a woman does not experience uterine rupture from the use of these medical devices, she may struggle with weakened pelvic muscles and urinary incontinence. Running, jumping, sneezing, or even laughing too hard could cause a woman with urinary incontinence to urinate herself at random. Unfortunately, fecal incontinence can occur, causing a woman to have a bowel movement on herself instead of making it to the toilet.
There is the possibility that a woman would experience such frustrating and uncomfortable side effects from these devices that were used. These side effects can cause a woman to feel embarrassed and might even keep her from doing the things she loves to do because she feels uncomfortable and is worried about the incontinency issues.
Did medical negligence lead to maternal injury or death?
Our honest Phoenix birth injury attorneys will not move forward with any catastrophic injury case unless we are sure that an honest injury has occurred. To assist in this process, we solicit the help of qualified healthcare professionals to review our potential catastrophic injury cases before bringing the claim. We pride ourselves on seeking justice for honest people who have been affected by life-changing injuries. If you have a strong belief that medical negligence is the cause of your maternal injury or your child’s injuries that were sustained after the medical professionals used extraction devices, you need to have legal representation to assist with your claim. We can help you put up a fight against the medical professionals involved.
Call an experienced Phoenix birth injury lawyer today
Too often, debilitating injury or death to mothers during childbirth is preventable, but had occurred because a medical professional has made one or more poor decisions while a woman was in labor. These poor decisions tend to have the most negative effect on the mother, child, and their family. Because you may have had a bad experience while giving birth in the hospital and are now suffering from mistakes made by medical professionals, it is important to understand your legal rights. The Phoenix birth injury attorneys at Plattner Verderame, P.C. want to help. Please call us at 602-783-8793 or complete the contact form on our website to schedule a free consultation.