Guide To Pregnancy & Birth Injury Claims

Being pregnant, particularly for the first time, or if you have been struggling to get pregnant for a while, can be a rather overwhelming experience. Although there is plenty of information out there on pregnancy and birth, in many instances you are placing your trust in the expertise and knowledge of your midwife or doctor. Although the majority of pregnancies and births go ahead with no problems at all, in rare cases mistakes made by medical professionals during this time can lead to serious problems.

“Birth injuries” is a specific term which relates to these mistakes or to medical negligence on the part of a healthcare professional during pregnancy, labour or birth which causes severe injuries, disabilities or even death. If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of a birth injury, you may be able to make a compensation claim. These will usually be on behalf of the child, but in many cases the mother may also have a claim either for physical or psychological damage. According to the BBC, over £70 million has been paid out by the NHS due to pregnancy clinical negligence in Scotland alone.

There are a number of conditions which can arise during pregnancy, birth and your baby’s early life, and being aware of them can help you to identify if you have been the victim of medical negligence and are due compensation. In the early stages of pregnancy, any abnormalities should be detected; failure to detect or communicate abnormalities which may have caused you to terminate the pregnancy (for example, if the baby was to be severely disabled) is a form of medical negligence. Failure to detect preeclampsia – a serious condition which can lead to the death of mother and baby, usually diagnosed through regular blood pressure checks and urine samples – or gestational diabetes – which can result in miscarriage or birth defects – also falls under this category.


Table of Contents
1. Birth Injuries
2. Medical negligence: what to do
 
 
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