The last thing that a parent wants to see at the birth of their child is a team of doctors and nurses rushing in to “work on” the baby. Adding another layer of fear and confusion is when the baby is whisked away by these professionals, in some instances, leaving the parents in the dark about what happened.
In some cases, I will have a mother tell me that in the back of their mind they felt something was wrong. To put it another way, you feel something went wrong during labor and delivery, but you don’t know what to do next. For some mothers, they will voice their concerns to the doctors and nurses only to be met with, “everything is fine.” However, as time goes on, the baby fails to meet certain milestones and in some cases, a devastating diagnosis is given to the baby, namely cerebral palsy, or some type of neonatal brachial plexus palsy.
You feel something went wrong during labor and delivery, what now? If your child has suffered an injury at birth below are two things that you can do to continue to move things in the right direction for your child.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO GET A SECOND OPINION…
For some parents, when they get a serious diagnosis for their child stemming from a birth injury, they do little follow-up. As a matter of fact, I have had mothers tell me who are they to question what the doctor is saying? But here’s the thing, we are talking about your child. It is okay to ask the doctors questions about the diagnosis and treatment for your child.
When you feel something went wrong during labor and delivery and your child has a serious diagnosis, it is okay to get a second a opinion. A second opinion doctor can help in many ways.
For example, the second doctor might confirm the diagnosis of the first doctor or he or she might have a different take about the medical diagnosis. This type of information can go a long way in completing your child’s medical picture.
TAKE THE TIME TO GET THE MEDICAL RECORDS…
A second thing that you can do when you feel something went wrong during the labor and delivery is to get the medical records surrounding the birth. The medical records are important because they paint a picture of what went on during the delivery. The records will reveal things such as whether meconium was present or was the baby’s heart rate too high or too low for a considerable amount of time. Or for example, did meconium get below the cords. All of these things will be helpful to a second opinion doctor, as well as you as a parent when looking at future treatment options.
Side note… remember to request not only the baby’s records, but mom’s records too. Sometimes hospitals will only initially provide one of the two. Just make sure that you pick up both sets of records.
YOU FEEL SOMETHING WENT WRONG DURING LABOR AND DELIVERY, WHAT NOW?
To speak with me further regarding your child’s injury at birth this is what I invite you to do. Pick up the phone and give me a call. I can be reached at 301-850-4832. I answer birth injury related questions like yours all the time and I will be happy to listen to your story.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
Boston Law Group, LLC
2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
