Breech Birth Injury Lawyer
Babies are usually born head-first. Late in pregnancy, your baby should turn head-down, and rear-facing. If they remain feet-down for some reason, they are considered breech—a dangerous way to go into the birth canal.
Breech births are associated with an increased risk of most birth injuries, and can result in stillbirth. In most cases, the doctor will monitor the mother during the third trimester, to ensure that the baby turns to the correct (head-down) position.
What Increases the Risk of Breech Birth?
There are a lot of factors that can increase the risk of a baby being in the breech position at the time of delivery. A few of these risk factors include:
- The pregnancy being twins, triplets, or other multiples
- Placenta previa
- Bicornate or septate uterine malformations or contracted pelvis
- Congenital abnormalities in the baby
- Lax pelvic or abdominal wall
- Unusual volume of amniotic fluid
What Injuries can a Breech Birth Injury Lawyer Help With?
Some of the more common breech birth complications seen by a medical malpractice attorney include:
- Umbilical cord prolapse
- Umbilical compression
- Hypoxia leading to brain damage or death
- Birth trauma
- Physical injuries due to head entrapment
- Brachial plexus injuries
When one of these injuries occurs, the effects are usually devastating. If your doctor acts quickly, damage can be mitigated. If your doctor does not act quickly and appropriately, the damages to your baby will likely be lifelong and serious. Some of the possible outcomes include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- Stillbirth
- Developmental delays
How Does a Breech Birth Injury Lawyer Prove Fault?
When doctors detect breech positioning in the final weeks of pregnancy, they usually attempt an ECV (external cephalic version)—which is when the doctor uses ultrasound to watch the baby, and manipulates the mother’s pelvis, attempting to force the baby to turn. In cases where an ECV is determined unsafe, or has been ineffective, the doctor should order a caesarean birth.
Your breech birth injury lawyer will assess your case. With the help of a team of medical experts, a qualified medical malpractice attorney can determine if your doctor neglected to monitor for, detect, or treat a breech position.
Contacting a Boston Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Any medical malpractice attorney will understand that doctors don’t harm their patients on purpose. Another thing that a Boston medical malpractice lawyer understands is that the medical bills associated with breech birth injuries are often more than a family can handle on their own. Let our Boston medical malpractice lawyer team help you secure the compensation you deserve, and the financial help you’ll need.