During the course of a mother-to-be’s pregnancy she may be subjected to tests and procedure that assess the health of her own body as well as that of her growing child. While many Pittsburgh women undergo these analyses and discover no concerning issues, others may find out that either they or their child suffers from a problem that could complicate the labor and delivery processes. Conditions such as preterm labor, abnormal positioning of the baby within the mother and challenges with the umbilical cord can turn an otherwise easy childbirth experience into a more intense medical procedure.
When a condition develops over the course of a pregnancy in a mother, a child or both then the resulting problems may bring about birth complications. When a mother and child cannot safely perform a natural birthing experience then doctors may have to take additional steps and use medical interventions to assist in the process of bringing the baby into the world. Although doctors can exhibit negligence in the diagnosing of apparent complications and the application of interventions during childbirth, the presence of a birth complication does not on its own necessarily suggest a mistake made on the part of a doctor or other medical professional.
As suggested, though, birth mistakes do happen when doctors fail to properly assess and treat their pregnant patients for the conditions they present with during their labor and delivery processes. Doctors can and do make mistakes during normal births as well. Any mistake made during the course of a pregnancy can put the lives of both a mother and her unborn child at risk.
While not every complication that arises during pregnancy and childbirth is the result of medical negligence, cases of this unfortunate form of medical malpractice do occur. Readers of this blog who wish to learn more about their possible birth injury cases are encouraged to discuss their questions with a personal injury attorney. This post provides neither legal nor medical advice and should be read as information only.