One North Carolina mother who had experienced a normal pregnancy and expected to give birth to a healthy baby is now encouraging other pregnant women to learn more about birth injuries and complications during labor such as brachial plexus.
After having a normal pregnancy and learning about labor and birth, the mother said that she felt confident and prepared when it came time to give birth to her baby. But after four hours of pushing to try to deliver her baby, the woman’s son suffered a serious birth injury because he had been partially stuck behind her pelvic bone.
The mother now hopes to increase awareness of shoulder dystocia. She claims that doctors don’t do a good enough job of informing pregnant women about shoulder dystocia and how it can lead to serious injuries such as brachial plexus. When parents are properly warned about a child’s risk of shoulder dystocia and when doctors pay better attention to warning signs during labor, parents and medical professionals can take better precautions to prevent or minimize the effects of a brachial plexus injury.
As a result of the birth injury, the woman’s son has limited movement in his arm. During labor, the child’s vertebrae were damaged because of the pressure that was applied to his body while his shoulder was stuck behind his mother’s pelvic bone. He has had surgery to try to fix his injury, but he has yet to fully recover from the incident.
The birth of a child should be one of the most joyous moments of a parent’s life. Unfortunately, medical professionals are at risk of making serious mistakes during labor and birth whenever they deviate from the standard of care. These preventable mistakes can result in permanent or serious birth injuries. When a medical professional is responsible for causing a child’s injuries, the negligent party should be held liable, not the child and his or her family.
Source: WWAY3, “Local mom warns of birth injuries,” Ashley Jacobs, June 26, 2012