Birth Injuries – Delivery Complications

Birth injuries can occur at any time of the birthing process, from pregnancy and labor to birth. However, the bulk of the birth injuries occur during the delivery process. Here, errors by your healthcare professional can lead to complications that can injure the baby or even the mother.

It is impossible to list all the possible complications that can occur during delivery, however, the most common complications are as follows: exceedingly high blood pressure during labor; emergency caesarian section; sudden onset of pre-eclampsia; infant going into distress; vaginal tearing; delay in performing an episiotomy; misuse of forceps or vacuum extraction; breach birth; inability to give birth naturally; uterine rupture and/or excessive use of force during delivery . Most of these complications can be dealt with properly by an experienced doctor and his team, however, in some cases these complications can lead to birth injury and even death. If this occurs, there may be a case for medical malpractice against the doctors, nurses, staff, technicians or even the hospital.

It is important for the healthcare professionals to warn mothers such as those with large babies, prolonged pregnancies and prolonged labor who may be at higher risk of possibly suffering delivery complications. Use of epidurals and Pictocin have also been associated with a higher risk of birth complications. Failure to pinpoint these risks and adequately prepare mothers could, in some cases, also be deemed medical malpractice.