When a birth that was expected to go as planned suddenly turns into a nightmare for expectant parents and their families and friends, the biggest questions may be why did this happen and how did this happen? When there is a birth injury, the why and the how may be linked.

A birth injury can cause life-long disabilities or death. There are many reasons this can happen, and most of them are linked to the negligence of doctors and nurses tasked with keeping mothers safe. Some of the most common ways a birth injury occurs include:

• Failure to monitor the fetus and respond to fetal distress in a timely manner
• Failure to perform a cesarean section in a timely manner
• Failure to provide oxygen to infants when needed
• Miscalculation of the size of the fetus
• Premature or postmature delivery due to improper dating
• Improper use of delivery instruments
• Abnormal presentation leading to shoulder dystocia
• Rh incompatibility
• Infections or medical problems of mother
• Infections or medical problems of fetus

Even a seemingly minor complication can lead to bigger complications in a matter of minutes. When it is discovered that these complications could have, and should have, been prevented, you may be able to file a lawsuit to receive compensation to cover future medical bills, pain and suffering and more.

If you are in the Philadelphia area, and would like to learn more about birth injuries or have had a child who suffered a preventable birth injury, please contact the experienced malpractice attorneys at Weiss & Paarz P.C. for an initial case consultation.