A Baby in Distress: Delivery Room Malpractice
Janet Watkins, a busy teacher and mother of a toddler son, enjoyed an uneventful second pregnancy and anticipated another smooth labor and delivery. However, as Janet's labor extended into a second day, it became clear her baby was in distress.
When the Watkins’ daughter was finally born with the help of forceps, her blue, limp body was quickly whisked off to the NICU. Despite her traumatic birth and some bruising, their infant daughter seemed to be fine.
It wasn’t until her second birthday that her developmental delays became undeniable to the Watkins. Their pediatrician agreed, and told them the most upsetting news yet: it was a preventable injury that had occurred during their daughter’s birth.
Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyer
While a fictional example, the Watkins' case typifies some of the child birth malpractice scenarios Goldberg, Persky & White, P.C. encounters. Brain damage, respiratory distress, learning disabilities, and a host of other birth injuries can result from the improper use of equipment like forceps, the misuse of labor drugs such as pitocin, or a variety of other forms of negligent care by OB-GYNs, obstetrical nurses, or midwives. Injuries may occur just before, during, or after birth.
Oftentimes, a baby's injuries are not identified until much later, once a child has begun speaking or reading and a developmental delay or learning disability is clear. Although several years may have passed since the birth injury occurred, GPW can still investigate whether or not a birth injury occurred. GPW’s Pittsburgh medical malpractice attorneys and their staff will collect all necessary medical records and have them reviewed by experts experienced in birth injuries. Are you unsure if your child has suffered a birth injury? Contact us now to find out
Injuries sustained during birth can be devastating, to both parent and child, and require lifelong support and medical care. Financial compensation for a birth injury can help parents afford not only the bills left in the wake of an injury, but also the long-term care and support required. Just as you would choose the best specialists to work with your child’s abilities, so too, should you choose the best advocate for their birth injury lawsuit.
GPW’s medical malpractice lawyers have experience, a proven track record, and a strong desire to advocate for our clients’. We will thoroughly investigate and aggressively pursue your case, working to get you and your child the compensation you deserve. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we also have office in Michigan and West Virginia, and have worked extensively with clients from Ohio, New York, and all over the county.
Common Causes of Birth Injury
The emotional and financial stress parents undergo when their child has been injured during delivery is great. GPW's birth injury attorneys understand that, and can assist with the legal issues and work to achieve compensation so that you can focus on your child. While the causes and results of birth injuries may vary from case to case, the following list may help you to identify some of the actions which led to a birth injury. If you are unsure what, or if, your child has suffered a birth injury, please contact us to find out if the trauma suffered was the result of injury at birth.
- Inadequate or restriction of fetal blood flow; this is also known as ischemia and can result in cerebral palsy.
- Insufficient fetal oxygen supply (fetal hypoxia), or the baby had difficulty breathing
- Improper use of a vacuum or forceps during a delivery
- Negligent use of drugs during labor, such as pitocin to induce labor or an epidural block to alleviate pain
- Failure to perform, or delayed performance of, a cesarean section when one was necessary
- Allowing a vaginal birth when the mother has previously undergone a cesarean section without properly advising the mother of the risks, or without appropriate management of labor (VBAC: vaginal birth after cesarean)
- Undiagnosed preeclampsia, diabetes, placenta previa, or similar conditions that can lead to complications
- Excessive force used during birth which can lead to shoulder dystocia and Erb’s palsy
- Damage to the infant’s brain that can lead to cerebral palsy
- Negligent neonatal care after the baby’s birth
Our birth injury lawyers and medical malpractice attorneys have the experience and resources to build a strong case on behalf of you and your baby. Mistakes made as a result of careless or negligent care or injuries to your infant may have been evident at or shortly after birth. However, if the circumstances surrounding your child’s birth were confusing and traumatic, you may be left wondering whether or not your doctor or another medical professional was to blame for the injuries your child is now suffering. We can help make sense of this confusion by examining the details of your child’s birth to determine if he or she has been a victim of birth trauma caused by medical malpractice.
If you are looking for medical malpractice lawyers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan or elsewhere, contact our office today to speak with one of our experienced medical malpractice attorneys.
Contact Our Birth Injury Lawyers
If you believe your child has experienced birth trauma or suffered a birth injury, contact the medical malpractice lawyers at our firm’s main office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a review of your case.