Maryland Childbirth Injury Attorney Marcus Boston Explains The Role Of Labor And Delivery Nurse In A Maryland Childbirth Injury Claim
In some cases, parents may not find out what caused an injury to their child during birth until later down the line.
For example, the medical records may reveal information that the parents had no way of knowing during the labor and delivery.
But once the records are reviewed, a clearer picture is painted as to the issues present.
With that said, what is one of the main roles of the nurses present in the delivery room?
Who are the nurses supposed to look out for first and foremost, and what are they to do if problems in the delivery room are not properly handled?
One Of The Primary Duties Of The Delivery Room Nurse…
When a mother presents to the hospital ready to give birth, the nurses present play a really important role in the process.
This is because in this scenario, the nurse has a duty to look out for their patients, mother and baby.
These two come first.
Even though doctors are usually present, the nurse’s duty is to his or her patients, mother and baby.
What Can Sometimes Happen In Maryland Childbirth Injury Cases…
The fetal heart monitor is a device that is used to help medical professionals determine whether the baby is doing well tolerating a vaginal delivery.
If the baby is not doing well, in many situations the fetal heart monitor will display readings which give cause for concern.
For example, if the baby’s baseline heart rate stays well above 165 bpm for a considerable amount of time then this may suggest that issues are present.
The same can be said if the baby has a baseline fetal heart rate well below 110 bpm for some time.
Add to this, if meconium is present then close supervision is required.
What can happen is a nurse may have serious concerns about how the treating doctor is dealing with mom and/or baby’s complications (sometimes the records will bear this out).
Even though the nurse’s concerns are valid, the doctor my brush the concerns aside and continue their current method of treatment, even though mom and/or baby is not responding well.
So What Can The Nurse Do?
Because a nurse’s primary duty is to mom and baby, in situations where either mom or baby is facing serious injury or death, the nurse has to follow the proper chain of command and try and get help.
This means that if the nurse has to go over the head of the treating doctor to get help due to the doctor missing blatant signs of trouble for mom and/or baby, the nurse has to do what needs to be done.
When a nurse just stands by and does nothing, and this failure to act contributes to an injury, then a strong argument will be made to also hold the nurse responsible.
What About Your Baby’s Injury?
To speak to me further about the role of the labor and delivery nurse in a Maryland childbirth injury case, and your baby’s injury during birth, this is what I invite you to do.
Remember, it costs nothing to take this next action and that is to pick up the phone and give me a call.
I can be reached at 301-50-4832.
I answer Maryland medical malpractice questions like yours all the time and I would be happy to listen to your story.
Boston Law Group, LLC
2 Wisconsin Circle
Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
Maryland Medical Malpractice Trial Attorneys
301-850-4832
