Three Common Causes of Birth Injuries

More often than not, birth injuries are caused by medical negligence in response to complications during delivery. But what’s the exact chain of events that causes an otherwise healthy baby to be severely injured or even permanently disabled? To find out, we need to look at the top three causes of birth injuries.

Poor Delivery Technique

There are few things more traumatic for a new family than having a baby permanently injured due to a doctor’s inexperience or negligence. These injuries are much more common than they should be and often occur when doctors don’t follow best practices for maneuvering breech births, using forceps, suction-assisted delivery, or performing a c-section.

Failure to Monitor

The health of the mother and child are linked. If the mother’s health isn’t closely monitored, both are much more likely to experience a birth injury due to medical negligence. Doctors must keep an especially close eye on the mother’s blood pressure. Without careful monitoring, blood pressure can quickly rise to unsafe levels during labor and delivery, increasing the risk of birth hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) and maternal mortality. Typically, black families are at an especially high risk of experiencing birth injuries due to a failure to monitor.

Extended Labor

Lengthy labor (meaning contractions lasting more than 20 hours) is not only painful—it can be dangerous. Once labor begins, the baby is at a much higher risk of experiencing oxygen deprivation. If they are cut off from their placenta (placental abruption) or experience other blood-related complications, there is an increased risk of suffocation and brain damage.

At the same time, proactive measures to move the birth along can also be harmful. Common labor-inducing drugs like Pitocin (oxytocin) can cause contractions so powerful that they injure the baby as it moves through the birth canal. Likewise, if doctors opt for a c-section, there is always the risk of surgical complications for both the mother and child.

If your child was diagnosed with a birth injury, we are here for you. If you’d like to schedule a free case consultation with an experienced Miami birth injury attorney from Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso & Spier, P.A., don’t hesitate to give us a call at (305) 900-5493 or send us an email.