Maternal Risk Factors and Birth Injuries

Know your rights. Talk to an experienced Ohio birth injury lawyer

Women trust doctors to provide exceptional medical care. This is especially true when they are pregnant. Obstetricians need to make sure they carefully monitor a woman’s health to make sure she’s safe and healthy, especially when dealing with a high-risk pregnancy. Otherwise, her health and her baby’s health may be at risk.

Unfortunately, some physicians make mistakes or act in a negligent manner, resulting in a birth injury. Often, it’s because doctors don’t take women’s risk factors seriously. Prenatal tests might not be performed or results misread. Women’s concerns or questions might be ignored or dismissed by doctors.

We take your concerns seriously at The Lancione Law Firm near Cleveland. For more than three decades, Ohio birth injury attorney John A. Lancione has been fighting for the rights of women nationwide. Our law firm deals exclusively with birth injury and medical malpractice claims. As a result, we’re familiar with the rules and regulations governing such complex legal cases. We know what strategies work and how to deal effectively with medical professionals, insurance companies and their attorneys. We put your best interests first.

Since our Cleveland area law firm was founded, we have recovered more than $350 million and counting in settlements and verdicts for our clients, including one of Ohio’s largest malpractice verdicts. We also understand that your legal case is about more than just money. It’s about holding medical professionals accountable for their actions. It’s about making sure your voice is heard loud and clear. It’s about justice.

What is a high-risk pregnancy?

As the name suggests, a high-risk pregnancy is one that carries an increased risk to the health or well-being of the mother and/or her baby. No pregnancy is entirely without risk, but certain factors can make that risk substantially higher, including:

Maternal age (over 35)
Multiple fetuses (twins, triplets, etc.)
Cigarette smoking and alcohol or drug use
Certain maternal health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, or epilepsy
History of complications such as preeclampsia in previous pregnancies

Some pregnancies are known to be high-risk from the beginning, while others become high-risk because of complications during the pregnancy. Below, you can learn more about these risk factors. Doctors and other medical professionals undergo years of rigorous training in order to properly diagnose medical issues that can result in a high-risk pregnancy.

If you, a loved one or your child sustained a serious injury or illness due to medical complications caused by a high-risk pregnancy, make sure you fully understand your legal rights. Talk to a lawyer who knows how to respond effectively to such complex legal cases.

What are common maternal risk factors?

There are many medical conditions and situations which can put the health and safety of pregnant women and their child at risk of developing a birth injury. Such risk factors can cover a wide range, including:

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension and Preeclampsia) – Many women have high blood pressure (hypertension) while they’re pregnant. Sometimes, it’s a pre-existing medical condition. Other times, women develop high blood pressure due to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia.
Gestational Diabetes – This is a form of diabetes that only affects pregnant women. Experienced doctors know they need to run regular tests and carefully monitor pregnant women to test whether they have low insulin levels and other warning signs of gestational diabetes.
Pelvic Insufficiency – A type of stress fracture (insufficiency) that’s common in pregnant women, especially while delivering the baby. Specifically, a woman’s pelvic bone can break due to underlying health conditions or excessive stress placed on the bone.
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) – Women who previously delivered a baby via cesarean section (C-section) can potentially be at risk when delivering a baby vaginally the next time. This is why doctors need to carefully monitor a woman’s health during pregnancy and the baby’s delivery.
Uterine Rupture – This type of injury involves a woman’s uterus tearing and breaking open, often resulting in the fetus being forced into the peritoneal cavity in the abdomen. This type of injury can be especially common for women having a VBAC birth.
OB/GYN Malpractice – Obstetricians-gynecologists (OB/GYNs) need to carefully monitor a woman’s health during her pregnancy. Failure to do so can be considered negligence and often involves medical malpractice.

These are just some of the risk factors doctors need to be aware of when treating women during their pregnancy or the baby’s delivery. When medical professionals don’t act in an ethical or professional manner, they need to be held accountable for their actions. That’s why it's critical that women understand their rights and talk to an experienced birth injury lawyer as soon as possible.

What are common warning signs?

There are often many warning signs that a woman’s health or her baby’s health might be at risk during her pregnancy or the delivery of the child. Such warning signs may include:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
Vaginal bleeding.
Severe abdominal pain.
Blurred vision or difficulty seeing.
Chronic or severe headaches.

You know your body best. If something didn’t seem right during your pregnancy or your child was born with a birth injury, medical negligence may be to blame. That’s why it’s important to understand why these injuries happen and the legal options available to you.

How does negligence play a role?

There are many reasons why negligence involving pregnant women can be a contributing factor in birth injury claims and legal cases involving harm to a woman’s health. Examples include:

Doctors failing to take a high-risk pregnancy seriously.
Medical professionals not performing standard prenatal tests on pregnant women.
Doctors not warning women about health risk factors during pregnancy.
Physicians misreading prenatal test results for pregnant women.
Obstetricians ignoring concerns or questions raised by women during their pregnancy.
Doctors delaying or not performing a cesarean section, resulting in a birth injury or injury to the mother.

Medical professionals undergo years of rigorous training, especially if they’re responsible for providing medical treatment for pregnant women and newborn children. When healthcare professionals act in a negligent manner and put a woman’s life at risk, those doctors, nurses and other medical professionals must be held accountable for their actions. That’s why we want to meet with you.

You have rights. We can stand up for them. Contact our Ohio law firm

Ohio birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione understands the obstacles to justice many women face when dealing with negligent doctors who harmed them or their babies. He knows that many medical professionals refuse to admit they did anything wrong. Instead, they focus their efforts on denying your injury claim.

As your legal team, we will work with you to build the strongest possible legal case. This starts the very first time you meet with attorney Lancione. You’ll notice the difference right away. He will personally listen to your story and explain all the legal options available to you. That way, you can decide what to do based on the facts. You can make informed decisions.

Once we agree on a strategy, attorney Lancione and his staff will carefully review your medical records in search of evidence to support your claim. We also frequently consult with medical experts to gain in-depth insight into exactly what went wrong. We leave no stone unturned in pursuit of the truth.

Discover what The Lancione Law Firm can do for you. Contact us and schedule a free consultation at our Rocky River, Ohio law firm today. You can reach us online or call (440) 331-6100 or (877) 515-4369 to speak with Cleveland birth injury attorney John A. Lancione. We’re on your side.