Negligent Prenatal Care
About 28,000 babies are born each year in the U.S. with a birth injury. A large percentage of birth injuries or deaths can be attributed to poor prenatal care. When expectant mothers do the right thing and seek out a doctor when they think they might be pregnant, they deserve to receive adequate, proper prenatal care from qualified, attentive doctors and nurses. There is no excuse for the agonizing injuries and deaths that occur because of negligent prenatal care.
Questions regarding negligent prenatal care can be difficult to answer. At Bertling Law Group, we are here to get those answers to your questions. We’ve been practicing medical malpractice law for over 35 years, including representing doctors, nurses and hospitals as well as injured patients. We know how to find out what happened, get answers, and determine whether medical negligence was to blame for a birth injury. If it was, we’ll take all necessary steps to hold the responsible parties accountable for their mistakes, obtain maximum compensation for victims and their families, and help ensure that medical care is made better and safer for others in the future.
If you believe you may have received negligent prenatal care that led to harm to mother or child, call Bertling Law Group for a free consultation at 844-295-7558. We help people throughout Southern California and also represent veterans and active duty military with malpractice claims against the VA or DOD nationwide. Let us help you get the care and compensation you need and deserve.
What Does Negligent Prenatal Care Look Like?
Prenatal care begins with an expectant mother’s first visit to the doctor after suspecting she is pregnant and continues throughout pregnancy up to the date of delivery. At the first prenatal visit, the doctor should assess both maternal and fetal health. For the mother, this includes taking a complete medical history, noting especially prior pregnancies and births, genetic issues, and other medical factors that could complicate the pregnancy. The doctor should perform a physical exam, including a pelvic exam, and order blood and urine tests as well. By the end of this visit, the doctor should have established an expected delivery date and developed a plan for continued prenatal care.
Prenatal care continues throughout the course of the pregnancy with ongoing regular visits becoming more frequent as the pregnancy progresses, first monthly, then every other week, then weekly until delivery. During these visits, the doctor should perform a number of tests to make sure everything is progressing appropriately. The doctor should look out for any signs of complications and treat as needed. Prenatal visits should include the following:
- Monitor maternal weight and blood pressure
- Measure the size of the uterus
- Monitor fetal heart rate and movement
- Diagnose and treat gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or other conditions
- Perform ultrasounds and check for any abnormalities
- Plan for a c-section if called for by the presence of placenta previa, a large baby, a narrow birth canal, or other conditions
- Monitor a post-term pregnancy and prepare for potential complications
Negligent prenatal care, therefore, could be a failing in any of these areas:
- Failure to monitor maternal or fetal health
- Failure to order or conduct indicated tests
- Failure to diagnose a medical condition
- Failure to treat a medical condition
Let Bertling Law Group Help After an Injury Caused by Negligent Prenatal Care
Infant mortality and maternal death are low in the United States thanks in large part to a health care system that delivers high-quality prenatal care. There is no room for negligence in this area and no excuse for avoidable mistakes that cause a lifelong injury or premature death that could easily have been prevented.
At Bertling Law Group, we understand that dealing with a birth injury as a parent is probably the worst experience of your life. We are here to help you through this period with compassion and an unwavering dedication to obtaining justice and compensation for the harm done so hopefully no other parent has to go through what you have suffered, and no other child has to endure what your child has had to endure. Call our office today at 844-295-7558 to find out how we can be of help. Your call is free, and there is no fee until after we collect compensation for you from the parties at fault.
