As the name implies, labor is a truly exhausting process for both the mother and her child. In order to reduce the chances of a health complication or birth injury caused during labor, doctors, nurses, and other medical providers should closely monitor a mother in labor and look for ways to shorten labor or induce birth. Otherwise, they might be accountable for a prolonged labor that causes complications and injuries.
When a labor is prolonged, the following dangers and injuries can occur:
- Oxygen deprivation: A prolonged labor is likely to create an oxygen deprivation danger for the infant. Without enough oxygen, a child can suffer hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) or fetal distress. Failing to recognize the signs of oxygen deprivation will likely cause the child to be born with a brain injury and live a life with mental debilitation.
- Musculoskeletal injury: Sometimes prolonged labor is caused by an infant in an awkward or unusual position while entering the birth canal. Incorrect positioning during birth is far more dangerous than it might sound, as it creates health hazards for the mother and makes delivery difficult. Inexperienced medical providers may not understand how to safely deliver a child in an unusual position and end up causing a musculoskeletal injury, such as a brachial plexus palsy.
- Hypertension: A mother in a prolonged labor is at high risk of hypertension, or dangerously elevated blood pressure. She may suffer a number of injuries and complications due to complication, but the condition also makes it more difficult to deliver an adequate amount of oxygen to her child.
In addition to these problems related to prolonged labor, other problems can occur due to medical negligence. For example, a medical provider could misuse forceps or a vacuum extractor in a haste after realizing labor had lasted too long. Or, a medical provider might not perform a C-section on time, needlessly endangering both the mother and her unborn child.
Prolonged Labor Injuries & Birth Injury Claims
Has your child been born with a birth injury related to a prolonged labor? Did your medical provider not take enough steps to prevent a prolonged labor, such as inducing labor? Call (866) 404-5221 to connect with Beam Legal Team, a Chicago-based birth injury law firm that represents birth injury clients from coast-to-coast. We are the hard-hitting legal team you need and deserve to make certain you get fair compensation from any and all liable parties.
Would you like to know more? Contact our law office at any time.