My Child Suffered a Birth Injury. Was My Muncie Doctor Negligent?

Indiana has been making strides to address the infant mortality rate, including forming a review team to help provide mothers, infants, and communities with better resources and services. Delaware County actually has a very low infant mortality rate compared to the rest of the state—though any number above zero is too high.

Birth injuries can occur at any point during a pregnancy. If you or your child were injured due to your physician’s negligence, you could have a medical malpractice case.

What Does Negligence Look Like?

Every medical professional has a legal and moral obligation to care for a patient. When an expecting mother receives medical care from a physician, she should receive the same quality of care as any other pregnant patient in the state.

Doctors should educate pregnant patients about proper prenatal nutrition, lifestyle changes, and potential risks, and should also treat each complication as it happens. If the doctor is negligent and doesn’t provide these services, and the mother or child is injured as a result, then there could be a case for medical malpractice.

Negligence in birth injury cases is often encountered as misdiagnosis, medication errors, and childbirth injuries.

Misdiagnosis During Pregnancy

Making healthy choices during pregnancy is crucial for the health of both you and your baby. But even the healthiest women can experience complications. Common complications that can arise during pregnancy include:

• Preeclampsia
• Gestational diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Infections

Scheduling regular prenatal checkups and calling about symptoms as soon as you notice them will help your doctor to diagnose and treat any complications before they become serious. However, if your doctor misdiagnoses a serious condition or disease, or fails to take action in treating a serious condition, that could qualify as negligence.

Medication Errors

Your doctor may prescribe medication to treat your high blood pressure or other concerns during pregnancy. But if you are given incorrect instructions, prescribed the incorrect dosage or even the wrong medication, serious complications may arise. This applies to medications prescribed both before and after birth.

Childbirth Injuries

Thanks to advances in science and technology, the process of childbirth is the safest it has ever been. However unexpected changes or emergencies in the delivery room force the nurses and doctors to think on their feet. Sometimes these rushed decisions may lead to an injury.

Vacuum extraction injuries and shoulder dystocia are two common injuries that may occur during childbirth. If you believe that your child was injured due to a doctor’s negligence during childbirth, a medical malpractice lawyer can help you decide if you have a malpractice case.

Filing a Birth Injury Claim with a Muncie Attorney

If you or your baby were injured during prenatal, delivery, or post-natal care, you may be entitled to compensation. The personal injury attorneys at Hensley Legal Group can help determine whether you have a case for medical malpractice. Call or contact us online today for your free conversation about your claim.