She thought everything was fine with her labor and delivery until… One interesting part of my job is to listen to mothers and families when they contact us regarding questions surrounding their baby’s birth injury. Not every story is the same, but there can be similarities within them.
The purpose of this birth injury educational article is to help you understand not only how attorneys analyze these issues, but to allow you to reflect on your own labor and delivery. Remember, there are people out here who may be able to help with your child’s future challenges.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE AREAS OF REVIEW WHEN A BABY HAS A BRAIN INJURY AT BIRTH?
When a family asks a birth injury attorney to review their case the attorney is more than likely going to interview the family and the medical records. The medical records are important in these cases because they allow us to see what was going on during labor and delivery. If a baby has suffered a brain injury at birth the electronic fetal heart monitor records will be of great importance. This is because the fetal heart monitor strips can give us a peek into how well the baby was tolerating a vaginal delivery. The strip will report on your baby’s heart rate, late versus early decels, variability, among other things.
In addition, the attorney will be looking through the medical records to see if meconium was present when mom’s water broke. Meconium, along with certain readings on the electronic fetal heart monitor can strongly suggest that the baby is no longer tolerating a vaginal delivery, is in fetal distress, and needs help.
As a result, doctors must properly diagnose and treat fetal distress. The failure to do so can lead to a baby suffering from a reduced level of blood and oxygen, leading to a brain injury. In some cases, the only treatment that can help the baby is an emergency C-section. Failure to perform the C-section in time, when warranted, can lead to a brain injury in the baby.
SHE THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS FINE IN HER DELIVERY UNTIL…
One mother relayed to me that she thought everything was fine in her delivery until the nurses began to whisper and then run out of the room. For her, this created much fear regarding what was going on with her baby. To her, it was all so startling because everything happened so fast.
What I have noticed, is that for some mothers, thinking back regarding their labor and delivery can sometimes trigger memories of things that did not seem too important at the time, but when combined with the complete picture of how things played out, give a different picture. Not every delivery in which a baby has suffered a brain injury will play out like the one above, but there may be subtle signs present that things were not going so well for baby.
HOW WAS YOUR LABOR AND DELIVERY?
She thought everything was fine with her labor and delivery until…there was meconium present in the fluid…or the fetal heart monitor showed that the baby’s heart rate was too low for a considerable amount of time, etc… In some cases, parents do not know anything was wrong until the baby is born and must be taken to the NICU.
To speak with me further regarding your labor and delivery 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 questions regarding labor and delivery, brain injuries, cerebral palsy diagnosis is, and much more surrounding birth injuries all the time and I would be happy to listen to your story.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
Boston Law Group, LLC
2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
1-833-4 BABY HELP
