Medical Malpractice and Delayed C-section

When a woman entrusts both her health and the health and life of her future baby to a doctor, she expects that the doctor will provide care of a reasonable and competent standard. While no doctor is expected to perform miracles, care should never fall below that reasonable standard, either. It is bad enough when the negligence of a doctor harms an adult patient unnecessarily. However, there is no event more tragic than an act of medical malpractice that compromises the health and potentially risks the life of a newborn baby.

Unfortunately, some birth injuries cannot be anticipated or prevented, while others are routinely prevented by excellent teams of medical professionals, many of which rise heroically above the minimal standard of care. However, some doctors simply fail to act as their competent peers would, either in the planning stages leading up to the birth of a child or during an emergency that arises at the time of birth, leading to birth injuries that should and could have been avoided. One of the most common causes of preventable birth injuries is the failure of a doctor to identify when a C-section, or Caesarean section, is necessary to prevent birth complications.

If the health of your child has been compromised, or if you have tragically lost a child, due to medical malpractice and a delayed C-section, the Brooklyn, NY personal injury attorneys of Gary A. Zucker & Associates, P.C. can help. We can use all of the many resources at our disposal to present the strongest medical malpractice case possible on your behalf, fighting for your right to compensation for the losses, expenses, and suffering you and your family have sustained.

When Is a C-section Necessary?

Many C-sections are planned in advance of the actual birth when doctors - who should, of course, be monitoring pregnant mothers very closely during their pregnancy - determine that natural birth could be too dangerous for the mother, child, or both. A C-section might be deemed as necessary in advance of birth because:

• The mother has high blood pressure or heart disease
• The mother is giving birth to multiples (e.g., twins or triplets)
• The mother has a contagious infection that could be passed on to the baby if the birth occurs vaginally
• The baby is particularly large (e.g., nine pounds or larger)
• The mother had previously given birth by C-section
• The baby is in breach position, meaning that it is not faced head down in the womb

Doctors and birthing teams are also trained and expected to respond to common emergency situations that arise during delivery that may call for a C-section to be performed immediately. Such situations include:

• An interruption in natural labor due to the failure of the cervix to open or the baby’s inability to fit through the birth canal
• A blockage in the baby’s blood supply
• An indication in the fetal heart rate that the baby is in distress
• Problems with the umbilical cords, such as its wrapping around the baby’s neck
• Placenta previa, in which the cervix is blocked by the placenta

The failure to perform a timely C-section when there are clear signs to do so can lead to:

• Cerebral palsy
• Erb’s palsy
• Shoulder dystocia
• Death

Arrange for an Evaluation of Your Medical Malpractice Case

If your child has suffered a birth injury, or if you have tragically lost a child, due to a delayed C-section, we urge you to contact our medical malpractice lawyers today for an evaluation of your case.