Birth Injuries

As the number of scheduled labor inductions climbs, the number of birth injuries climbs, as well. Scheduled inductions may be convenient for the doctor’s schedule, but many times, the mother’s body is not ready to give birth at that time. When that happens, problems can occur. Newborn babies are so fragile that a slight error may cause a serious injury.

At that point, doctors and hospitals usually hide behind lawyers. So, you need the aggressive birth injuries attorneys at Holland & Holland and your side. Big law firms do not intimidate us. Instead, we follow the same approach that has worked for many years. We collect evidence, build your claim, and then never stop fighting for you.

Pre-Labor Birth Injuries

Sometimes, injury occurs before the mother even goes into labor. Usually, errors at this stage involve excessive Pitocin or anesthesia mistakes.

Since it was invented in the 1950s, Pitcoin has been one of the most reliable labor-inducing drugs in the world. The chemist who synthesized it won a Nobel Prize. Nevertheless, there are issues, and these issues sometimes cause serious birth injuries.

Pitocin-induced contractions are usually stronger and closer together than natural contractions. As a result, the uterus may not have enough time to recuperate between contractions. So, the baby may not get enough needed nutrients. Furthermore, Pitocin contractions usually last longer than natural contractions. Babies receive no nutrients at all while the uterus is contracted.

Anesthesia matters during labor and delivery often involve fast decisions. Many times, the mother initially refuses an epidural or other medication. Then, after labor begins, she changes her mind. So, the anesthesiologist quickly reviews the mother’s medical history. Furthermore, the doctor may take time-saving shortcuts while administering medication or monitoring the mother.

As a result, the doctor may overlook a medical allergy, administer too much medication, or not administer enough. Or, if problems develop during delivery, the anesthesiologist may not be in a position to correct them.

Labor and Delivery

Shoulder dystocia is one of the most common types of labor and delivery injury. If the baby is too large to maneuver down the mother’s narrow birth canal, the baby may become lodged in place. The umbilical cord continues dropping, and once it wraps around the baby’s neck, the baby could suffer a permanent brain injury in only minutes.

Since the clock is ticking and the stakes are so high, many doctors panic and they do not make decisions. Instead, they use dangerous labor aids, such as:

• Forceps: These delivery tools resemble large salad tongs. The doctor grips the baby’s head and tries to pull the baby out of the mother. The excessive force often causes a disfiguring skull injury.
• Episiotomy: These incisions on the mother’s perineum (area between the genitals and anus) theoretically widen the mother’s birth canal. But in practice, they rarely work and often cause uncontrollable bleeding.
• Vacuum Extractor: The doctor places a cap on the baby’s head, which is attached to a surgical vacuum. Then, the doctor turns on the vacuum and tries to suck the baby out of the mother. This process sounds brutal, and it is brutal.

Damages in birth injury cases usually include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, as well as noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages may be available as well, in some extreme cases.

Contact Tenacious Lawyers

When helpless babies suffer serious injury, you need effective representation. For a free consultation with an experienced birth injury attorney in Indianapolis, contact Holland & Holland. You have a limited amount of time to act.