Each year, roughly 1-in-130 new families are impacted by a life-changing birth injury. Many of these conditions are preventable during prenatal care but are identified and diagnosed too late. To give you the best chance of securing your health and the health of your baby, it’s crucial that you’re able to identify a few of the most common obstetrical misdiagnoses.
High Blood Pressure
Most women develop a condition called “gestational hypertension,” or high blood pressure brought on by pregnancy. Left unmonitored and untreated, this condition can reduce your baby’s oxygen supply and increase the risk of maternal death.
When seeking prenatal care, be sure that your doctor is keeping a close eye on your blood pressure, especially if you have a family history of hypertension. If your blood pressure is outside of safe levels, you may need treatment and medication to ensure your health and the health of your baby.
Gestational Diabetes
Though rarer than gestational hypertension, some women will develop a temporary form of diabetes during pregnancy. Left unchecked, this condition can lead to premature birth, infant jaundice, or even stillbirth.
The good news is that gestational diabetes is highly treatable, but it must first be identified. If you find yourself constantly thirsty during pregnancy or if you have a family history of diabetes, be sure to inform your doctor during your next checkup.
Encephalopathy
During birth, your baby may be cut off from oxygen due to any number of factors, including high blood pressure. This can lead to a condition called encephalopathy or brain damage. It’s important to identify a baby cut off from oxygen as early as possible as there are some emergency treatment options, done within hours of birth, that can reverse or minimize damage from encephalopathy.
The greater risk is that brain damage is a “latent injury” meaning the true impact of the damage may not be apparent until the child is years older. But if there’s sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the condition was caused by negligence in the delivery room, you may be entitled to pursue just compensation.
If you or your baby suffered a serious birth injury due to misdiagnosis, we are here for you. If you’d like an experienced Cincinnati medical malpractice attorney from the Moore Law Firm to evaluate your case, please send us an email or call (513) 232-2000.
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of another person's negligence, you deserve to be fully compensated for your losses. The simple fact is that you should not be forced to pay the price for another person's careless or reckless actions.