The quality of care after delivery can be just as critical as the attention received during labor and childbirth. The newborn and the mother are especially vulnerable in the hours after birth.
If you believe that the delivering physician, neonatal nurses, anesthesiologist, or other staff were negligent, and that their negligence resulted in injury to you or your baby, contact The Becker Law Firm. In a free initial consultation, we can discuss a possible medical malpractice lawsuit.
We represent families throughout Ohio from our offices in Cleveland and Elyria. We also assist in neonatal injury litigation in Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Contact our postpartum malpractice attorneys to arrange your no-cost, no-obligation consultation. Call 216-621-3000 to learn more.
Postpartum Injuries to Newborns
If any medical conditions were identified during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, the physician and nursery staff should be prepared to administer necessary aid.
At The Becker Law Firm, we have handled cases involving failure to:
- Respond appropriately to newborns with respiratory stress disorder (RSD)
- Treat jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia) through phototherapy or advanced intervention
- Recognize newborn distress or consult a neonatologist/specialist
- Transfer the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
Our postpartum negligence lawyers in Ohio have the legal and medical knowledge required to analyze these complex cases and determine whether malpractice occurred.
Postpartum Injuries to Mothers
Additionally, our attorneys have established negligence in cases involving the postpartum care of the mother, including failure to recognize and treat:
- Anesthesia-related illness
- Epidural injuries
- Life-threatening bowel obstructions after C-section
- Hemorrhage from nicked arteries
- Pulmonary embolism (leading to stroke)
- Bleeding disorder and hypovolemia
We can also represent new mothers who suffered the following postpartum injuries:
- Infection: In hospitals, mothers may develop infections for any number of reasons. Though acquiring an infection is not typically the result the negligence, the hospital’s failure to recognize or treat an infection can be. Without proper treatment, some infections can cause death. Some types of infection include necrotizing fasciitis, abscesses, and cellulitis.
- Postpartum hemorrhage: Postpartum hemorrhage is excessive bleeding after delivery of the baby. Physicians must not wait until the cause of the bleeding is determined to act—in most situations, they must take action immediately. There are several causes of postpartum hemorrhage, including retained products of conception and/or uterine rupture.
- Endomyometritis: Endomyometritis is an infection in the wall of the uterus. Risk factors include C-section, manual removal of the placenta, as well as patients with meconium, prolonged rupture of membranes, or chorioamnionitis. Doctors must be able to recognize the risk factors, including fever, high white blood count, and uterine tenderness. Proper treatment usually includes antibiotics, and D&C if retained products of conception are discovered.
- Eclampsia: Eclampsia is a particularly severe form of preeclampsia, characterized by high blood pressure during pregnancy. Women with eclampsia experience seizures which can occur before, during, or several weeks after labor and delivery. Even after delivery, it should be treated with magnesium sulfate for up to 24 hours, which must be carefully prescribed to prevent additional seizures. Too much can cause depression of the central nervous system, loss of deep tendon reflexes, respiratory depression and paralysis, coma, or heart attacks.
Our team has also won damages for failure to transfer the mother to intensive care, and for preventable injuries sustained after the premature discharge of the newborn or mom from the hospital. The Becker Law Firm has an extensive record of verdicts, settlements, and judgments in obstetric malpractice and birth injury litigation, including postpartum and neonatal injuries.
Discuss your case today with a Cleveland postpartum injury lawyer; call us at 216-621-3000 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.
