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What complications during labor and delivery can cause HIE birth injuries?
Understanding labor and delivery complications can help parents recognize potential risks and their rights if preventable injuries occur. Below, we’ve listed several complications along with practical examples to illustrate how they may lead to birth injuries.
Delayed Cesarean Section
When an emergency cesarean section is postponed, it could put both the baby and mother at risk. For instance, if fetal distress, such as a low fetal heart rate, is detected but a cesarean is delayed, oxygen deprivation could result, causing hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and leading to conditions like cerebral palsy.
Placental Abruption
Placental abruption happens when the placenta detaches from the uterus prematurely. This can reduce oxygen and nutrient supply to the developing baby or may cause sudden hemorrhaging, which could be life-threatening to both mother and baby and result in a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain, causing permanent brain damage.
Placenta Previa
When the placenta covers the cervix, a normal vaginal delivery might be impossible. Without identifying this early through ultrasound, attempts at vaginal birth could cause severe bleeding and birth injuries, such as oxygen deprivation for the baby.
Prolapsed Cord
This happens when the umbilical cord slips through the cervix before the baby does and becomes compressed by the descending baby, whose weight collapses the cord, cutting off the baby’s supply of oxygen and dangerously slowing the fetal heart rate. Delayed response to a prolapsed cord can result in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a serious brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation.
Uterine Rupture
A uterine rupture is a rare but severe complication where the uterus tears. It is a known risk of pregnancy for women who have undergone prior C-sections (because the tear can occur along the scar line from a previous cesarean section), but uterine rupture can occur even if there has not been a prior C-section. It can lead to severe harm to both the baby and the mother, including oxygen deprivation for the baby, if immediate medical intervention is not provided.
Meconium Aspiration
When a baby inhales a mixture of meconium (the baby’s first stool) and amniotic fluid during labor and delivery, their airway can become blocked, and lung tissue can be damaged. If this condition isn’t handled quickly, it may lead to oxygen deprivation, respiratory distress syndrome, or even lifelong breathing issues.
Every stage of labor and delivery should be monitored.
- Medical professionals have a duty to closely monitor mother and baby
- They are required to take timely action to prevent complications
- Do you want to know if medical negligence played a role in a birth injury?
- Parents deserve honest answers through legal guidance
Our experienced team is here to help. Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your potential case and understand your rights.
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Compassionate Care, Exceptional Results
We work to secure life-changing results for our clients. Our experienced attorneys and compassionate staff are dedicated to uncovering the cause of your baby’s injuries, understanding their prognosis, and determining if medical negligence played a role.
Establishing if a Medical Mistake was Made
If we establish that medical malpractice caused your baby’s HIE birth injury, we collaborate with top medical experts, forensic specialists, and life care planners to ensure every aspect of your child’s lifelong care needs is identified. We will then carefully calculate and pursue legal action to secure your child’s financial future for their lifetime.
Experience You Can Count On
We help families with cases involving hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy, and other birth injuries. With decades of experience, our attorneys have achieved significant results in birth trauma litigation.
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We will handle your birth injury claim without you ever having to pay any costs upfront. You won’t pay any legal fees until we successfully win or settle your case. This means you can focus entirely on your child’s care and well-being without worrying about upfront costs.
Case Results That Have Helped Many Families
$5,000,000
Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury
Twin pregnancy with pre-term labor led to an emergency C-section, where the medical team struggled to deliver the second twin, resulting in brain damage.
$4,000,000
HIE Brain Injury
When labor was induced, shortly thereafter, the baby’s heart rate dropped critically low. The medical team delayed delivering the baby by cesarean section, which caused a permanent HIE brain injury.
$5,000,000
Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Birth Injury
After Pitocin administration, the baby’s fetal heart rate began showing fetal distress, but an emergency C-section was not performed until almost an hour later. The delay in performing a C-section caused an HIE brain injury, which resulted in the need for 24/7 care.
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