Failure to Monitor Prenatally or During Labor

Errors and complications can occur at any time during pregnancy. A healthcare provider is expected to monitor, diagnose, and treat the mother and baby for complications so that the pregnancy can result in a healthy newborn and safe pregnancy for the mother. Failure to monitor prenatally, during birth, or after birth may be cause for medical malpractice. The doctor or healthcare provider must have acted in a manner that was not reasonably competent in relation to others in the same field and in a similar location.

If you suspect you did not receive the appropriate care for you and your baby, you experienced complications, and you were injured by this, please contact us for a free case evaluation.

Problems with Prenatal Monitoring

Prenatal monitoring is the foundation to the health and welfare of both mother and child.

When a mother is not adequately monitored, risks to the mother's health can jeopardize the pregnancy. Complications may include:

Gestational Diabetes: Too much blood glucose (blood sugar) is not good for you or your baby during pregnancy. It can lead to cesarean section (C-section) births, high blood pressure for the mother, difficult birthing due to a larger baby, low blood glucose in the baby, and even breathing problems.

Too much blood glucose (blood sugar) is not good for you or your baby during pregnancy. It can lead to cesarean section (C-section) births, high blood pressure for the mother, difficult birthing due to a larger baby, low blood glucose in the baby, and even breathing problems. Preeclampsia: Often this complication is not known until the mother has taken a blood pressure and urine test. High blood pressure and protein in the mother's urine puts the mother at risk for a stroke or impaired kidney function, impaired liver function, blood clotting problems, pulmonary edema (fluid on the lungs), seizures and, in severe forms, maternal and infant death. Preeclampsia can manifest very quickly, you may be normal in the morning and seriously ill by the afternoon. It is best to err on the side of caution and visit a care provider immediately.

Often this complication is not known until the mother has taken a blood pressure and urine test. High blood pressure and protein in the mother's urine puts the mother at risk for a stroke or impaired kidney function, impaired liver function, blood clotting problems, pulmonary edema (fluid on the lungs), seizures and, in severe forms, maternal and infant death. Preeclampsia can manifest very quickly, you may be normal in the morning and seriously ill by the afternoon. It is best to err on the side of caution and visit a care provider immediately. Placental Abruption: When the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus (placental abruption), the baby is at risk for growth problems, premature birth, or stillbirth. If you experience vaginal bleeding while pregnant, it is imperative that you visit your care provider immediately. Your care provider should perform an examination and an ultrasound to detect placental abruption. Unfortunately, not all cases of placental abruption can be detected with an ultrasound. However your care provider should monitor you and your baby especially during times of vaginal bleeding while pregnant.

When the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus (placental abruption), the baby is at risk for growth problems, premature birth, or stillbirth. If you experience vaginal bleeding while pregnant, it is imperative that you visit your care provider immediately. Your care provider should perform an examination and an ultrasound to detect placental abruption. Unfortunately, not all cases of placental abruption can be detected with an ultrasound. However your care provider should monitor you and your baby especially during times of vaginal bleeding while pregnant. Placenta Accreta: The opposite of placental abruption is placenta accreta, where the placenta attaches itself too deeply to the wall of the uterus. Depending upon the severity of the attachment (accreta, increta, percreta), you and your baby may be at risk of a premature delivery. Vaginal bleeding while pregnant is a sign of this complication. Your healthcare provider should be notified immediately of vaginal bleeding to diagnose and monitor you and your baby for these complications. Placenta accreta is harmful to the mother in that you may hemorrhage in attempting to remove the placenta from the uterine wall. Other complications such as damage to the uterus and other organs, and even hysterectomy, can arise with placenta accreta. It is important that you discuss surgical options with your healthcare provider.

The opposite of placental abruption is placenta accreta, where the placenta attaches itself too deeply to the wall of the uterus. Depending upon the severity of the attachment (accreta, increta, percreta), you and your baby may be at risk of a premature delivery. Vaginal bleeding while pregnant is a sign of this complication. Your healthcare provider should be notified immediately of vaginal bleeding to diagnose and monitor you and your baby for these complications. Placenta accreta is harmful to the mother in that you may hemorrhage in attempting to remove the placenta from the uterine wall. Other complications such as damage to the uterus and other organs, and even hysterectomy, can arise with placenta accreta. It is important that you discuss surgical options with your healthcare provider. Placenta Previa: A low-lying placenta in the uterus that partially or completely covers the cervix during pregnancy is placenta previa. It is more common among women who have had more than one child, a cesarean birth, surgery on the uterus, or twins/triplets. A common sign is painless vaginal bleeding during the third trimester of pregnancy. Also be aware of premature contractions, the position of the baby (breach or in transverse position), and if the size of the uterus is larger than gestational age.

If your healthcare provider fails to monitor you and your baby during your pregnancy for these complications, and you experience one of these complications, your pregnancy may be at risk and you may have a case for medical malpractice. To determine if you have a medical malpractice case, please contact us for a free case evaluation.

Problems with Fetal Monitoring During Labor

Fetal heart rate monitoring during labor is when the healthcare provider checks the baby's heart rate to ensure that it is in the normal range, which indicates that it is acceptable to proceed with labor and delivery unless other complications are present. The care provider may either monitor the heart rate periodically or continually, depending on your pregnancy risks, the policies of the care facility, and how labor is actually going. If there are no complications or risks to your pregnancy, either way is acceptable.

If during labor there is a change in the baby's heart rate, it may be monitored more frequently and the healthcare provider should assess the cause in the change and take steps to correct it. An abnormal heart rate for an extended period of time may mean that the baby is not getting enough oxygen and may possibly cause cerebral palsy or other brain damage.

Some ways in which the doctor may correct the abnormal heart rate include:

Changing the mother's position

Giving more fluids

Supplementing oxygen

Stopping Pitocin

Using medications that relax the uterus or decrease contractions

Using a catheter to inject sterile fluid into the uterus

Ordering a cesarean birth (C-section)

Fetal monitoring may also allow the healthcare provider to assess the baby and mother for other signs of distress that may cause complications, like fetal hemorrhage, stillbirth, a prolapsed umbilical cord, or seizures after birth due to low oxygen.

If you experienced any of these during your pregnancy or labor, and your doctor acted negligently, you may have a case for medical malpractice. Call us today at (704) 859-2003.

Shoulder Dystocia & Other Brachial Plexus Injuries

In the moments surrounding your child's birth, nothing is more important than hearing the first cries and the subsequent reassurance from doctors that your baby is healthy. When doctors suddenly interject that your child may have suffered damage, this blissful moment transforms into a moment of panic, fear, and anxiety. Unfortunately, when a child is diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury caused by shoulder dystocia, the initial moment of turmoil for the parents is followed by years of challenges for the entire family.

Shoulder dystocia is frequently caused by delivery room errors. The doctor may fail to recognize that a baby is breech or too large to be delivered naturally. Rather than performing a C-section, the baby is forced through vaginal birth, often with the use of forceps or vacuum.

Erb's Palsy

Erb's palsy, first described by and named after Wilhelm Erb, is a condition in which the infant's neck is stretched and the muscles pulled so that the infant cannot move his/her arm effectively. This condition happens to one or two babies in 1,000 and can happen during a difficult delivery. It can also happen when a doctor pulls too hard on the baby during birth causing the stretching in the infant's shoulder.

Erb's palsy injuries are indicated by a loss of feeling in the arm and partial or complete paralysis, and the severity of the injuries falls into one of four types of nerve injuries:

Neuropraxia – a stretch but not a tear in the nerve

– a stretch but not a tear in the nerve Neuroma – a stretch resulting in scar tissue that results in some, but not total, recovery

– a stretch resulting in scar tissue that results in some, but not total, recovery Rupture – a torn nerve

– a torn nerve Avulsion – a nerve is torn from the spinal cord

Our Charlotte birth injury attorneys have extensive knowledge and understanding of shoulder dystocia and the obstetric medical malpractice which often leads to brachial plexus injury. We use our experience and skills, as well as a team of professionals to determine the extent of the injury, how the injury occurred, and how we can help you recover the financial resources you need.