When you are pregnant, good prenatal care is essential for a healthy pregnancy and baby. You should be regularly monitored to ensure that the baby is developing appropriately, and there are no problems that should be addressed. Prenatal care can involve multiple tests and advice from your OBGYN. However, not all doctors are performing adequate prenatal care and commit medical negligence during a pregnancy. When prenatal care malpractice occurs, the effects can be devastating.
Prenatal Care Malpractice
Doctors seeing mothers for prenatal care do make mistakes, which can rise to the level of medical malpractice. A doctor conducting proper prenatal care should perform all required testing to ensure that a mother and baby are healthy. They should be able to recognize a high-risk pregnancy and know the appropriate steps to care for the mother and baby. Some examples of prenatal care malpractice include:
- Failure to diagnose gestational diabetes
- Failure to recognize when a baby is not growing appropriately
- Failure to recognize that a baby is too large to deliver without a c-section
- Failure to administer appropriate tests
- Failure to recognize preeclampsia
- Failure to recognize the need to induce labor.
- Inadequate testing, diagnostics, and treatment
- Failing to refer to a high-risk pregnancy specialist
Prenatal care malpractice can have tragic consequences.
Effects of Prenatal Care Malpractice
Studies show that inadequate prenatal care is a risk factor for poor pregnancy outcomes. Prenatal care malpractice can lead to serious birth injuries such as cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, and other injuries. Birth injuries can lead to permanent damage to an infant. Malpractice can even lead to the death of an infant due to a failure to recognize a high-risk pregnancy and treat a mother accordingly. Prenatal malpractice can also result in injury or death to the mother. If a doctor’s failure to perform adequate prenatal care results in injury to the baby or the mother, the doctor may be held liable for any injuries in a medical malpractice claim.
Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney
Malpractice claims can be complex, which is why if you believe that you or your baby have been injured as a result of prenatal care malpractice, you should consult with an experienced attorney. At Bonina & Bonina, P.C., we have been helping the victims of medical negligence for over 50 years. Contact us online or call us at 1-888-MEDLAW1 to schedule your free consultation. Home and hospital visits are available. Se habla español.