There is a big difference between a birth complication and a birth mistake. A mother and a baby in Pennsylvania may experience a birth complication if, during labor, the baby’s positioning makes it impossible for the mother to deliver the child. A birth mistake may arise if the mother’s doctor fails to address this sometimes life-threatening complication with the proper treatment or intervention.
Baby position is only one of the many birth complications that doctors must stay ahead of to ensure that both mothers and infants get through delivery without suffering injuries. Another birth complication that often plagues first-time mothers is prolonged labor. A labor that does not progress can cause significant problems for both a mother and her unborn child and may require a doctor to step in to move the process along.
Problems with umbilical cords can be particularly complex when it comes to keeping babies healthy prior to their births. Umbilical cord prolapse and umbilical cord compression are both serious conditions that doctors should treat prior to birth so that affected babies are protected from injuries.
When doctors ignore the signs of birth complications, they expose their patients to significant risks of illness, injury and even death. Prior posts here have discussed how serious conditions, such as Erb’s palsy, cerebral palsy and hypoxia, can develop if a baby is forced to endure the trauma of an unsuccessful labor. The failure of a doctor to intervene in time can yield devastating results for mothers and their unborn children. Individuals who believe that their doctors missed birth complications during their labors and deliveries are encouraged to find out more about their possible courses of action for compensation.