Chicago, IL 60601
FREE CONSULTATIONS 312-462-4200
TOLL FREE 833-462-4200
Recent Blog Posts
Can Forceps Injure a Mother During Childbirth?
Doctors, nurses, midwives, and other childbirth medical specialists have an array of tools at their disposal to aid in ensuring babies are born safely. While the vast majority of deliveries do go smoothly, sometimes urgent intervention is needed. Delivering mothers have no choice but to put their faith in their attending doctor’s skill and knowledge.
Tragically, not all doctors are as educated or dedicated to their patients’ well-being as they should be. And even when a mistake is just that - an accident - the results can be devastating. One kind of tool that has the potential to cause great harm to both mother and child during delivery is forceps. Forceps look like a large pair of tongs that are meant to fit around a child’s head to help guide them out of the birth canal. While forceps save lives, when used incorrectly, they can cause several types of maternal injuries.
Does Stem Cell Therapy Show Promise for Children with Autism?
The process of pregnancy and birth ends well for most children, but it also presents a long period of complicated genetic development during which a child’s body and brain are fragile and susceptible to injuries. Many of these injuries can happen because of recklessness or carelessness on the part of childbirth healthcare providers, and a surprising number of injuries appear to be linked to a higher risk of developing autism.
While there are many treatments and therapies for autism, a child with autism may need medical, social, and educational support for the rest of their life. If your child suffered from a birth injury and now has autism, you may want to see whether you can take action against the person or organization responsible.
Which Birth Injuries May Cause or Contribute to Autism?
Several birth injuries are correlated with much higher rates of autism in young children, although it is difficult to establish a direct link between one particular occurrence and the later manifestation of autism. However, birth injuries that are frequently associated with autism later on include:
What Is Fetal Macrosomia and How Does It Happen?
One of the most incredible aspects of the miracle of new human life is the fact that, for the vast majority of pregnancies, nothing goes wrong at all. Out of the millions of cells that must divide and developmental processes that must go perfectly, for most families, there are no complications. But when unusual circumstances present themselves, a team of educated, fast-thinking doctors can make the difference between barely averted disaster and tragedy. Some of the things that go wrong are caused by genetic or physical conditions; others are caused by medical caregiver incompetence; and still others, like fetal macrosomia, are a combination of the two. Read on to learn about this condition and how it can appear in Illinois birth injuries.
Understanding Fetal Macrosomia
Infants with fetal macrosomia are more commonly known simply as “big babies.” An infant whose weight is in the top 10 percent of all fetal weights before birth has fetal macrosomia - usually, this means the child weighs more than about nine pounds. While nearly everyone knows someone who gave birth to a particularly large infant without consequence, fetal macrosomia can pose serious health complications to both the baby and the mother.
When Are Forceps Appropriate During Delivery?
Healthcare providers are essential during childbirth for ensuring a safe delivery and healthy infant. The responsibilities these caregivers have are enormous and parents must place their trust in their team of doctors during a physically vulnerable and emotionally heightened moment. While most deliveries are successful and parents are rewarded with the joy of meeting their child for the first time, some deliveries are complicated and require quick, deft decision-making and medical treatment.
When labor is not progressing or a baby needs urgent delivery, doctors may recommend a forceps delivery to help the baby come out more quickly. Birth forceps are exactly what they sound like - specialized tools that help a doctor grasp an infant and guide them out with pulling motions. While birth forceps can be very effective, they can result in serious injuries if they are used inappropriately.
When Are Forceps the Right Delivery Tool?
Can We Sue Our Doctor for Not Telling Us About Our Baby’s Birth Defect?
From time to time, a story will make headlines about a child who was screened for genetic or physical abnormalities in utero, given a clean bill of health, and then born with a serious or life-threatening birth defect. And in 2009, the Illinois Appellate Court decided that parents who prove that a doctor mistakenly diagnosed or failed to diagnose genetic disorders can seek damages for the emotional and financial damages the parents incur when they give birth to a child with a diagnosable disability.
If you requested tests that were intended to show genetic or developmental disabilities while you were pregnant and a doctor misread the results or failed to recognize a prenatal developmental disorder, you may be able to take legal action with the help of an experienced Chicago, IL birth injury attorney.
What Are Examples of Common Wrongful Birth Defects?
Pregnant women who are at a heightened risk of carrying certain genetic disorders are frequently screened during pregnancy, although genetic screening is becoming more common as the trend of women having children at older ages continues. Sometimes genetic screening looks normal and then developmental irregularities appear for the first time in an ultrasound later in the pregnancy. Parents frequently decide to terminate these pregnancies because the life expectancy and quality of the child can be seriously negatively affected. Some of the serious genetic disorders or developmental abnormalities include:
The Doctor Dropped Our Baby During Delivery. Is This Normal?
While a baby dropped on its head may make up a good portion of schoolyard taunts, when an infant is dropped during delivery, it is no laughing matter. Most Chicago mothers envision their labor and delivery ending with a final push, a gentle catch by the attending doctor or midwife, followed by tender first moments with baby. When these first moments are disturbed or taken away altogether because of a doctor’s carelessness or distraction handling a newborn infant, there are no words to describe the confusion and devastation that follow.
Every child deserves a fair chance at starting her life off with health and joy; the delivery process is already complicated and chaotic enough without additional complications. But if your infant was dropped or mishandled during delivery and injured or killed as a result, you can take action to seek compensation and prevent such a tragedy from happening to someone else.
Can I Sue a Doctor for Failing to Vaccinate My Infant?
A delivery room in an Illinois hospital’s maternity ward is a joyful but chaotic place during and after childbirth. So many things are happening at once, and while most doctors and nurses do an excellent job of managing their responsibilities to a mother and newborn, some medical practitioners fail to do so. In the hubbub of an infant’s post-delivery care, hospital staff may forget to administer vaccines, an essential line of defense against serious illnesses for newborns.
Infants, whose immune systems are underdeveloped and require assistance to fight off many potentially fatal illnesses, can be seriously injured and even killed without proper vaccination. If your infant fell ill and you believe your doctor failed to vaccinate him or her, read on.
Which Immunizations Are Standard in Illinois?
Children are subject to a rigorous vaccine schedule as part of routine childhood healthcare. Immediately after birth, infants are given Hepatitis B and vitamin K shots. Over the next year, children also receive vaccinations against:
When Do Birth Injury Symptoms First Appear?
Birth injuries in Illinois children may only take a brief moment to occur but they can be an ongoing source of parental stress, developmental challenges, and medical expenses for many years and even for a child’s entire life. Sometimes, signs that a child has suffered from a birth injury may be immediately present; other times, symptoms do not appear until a child has gotten old enough for certain developmental delays to become clear.
No matter when a birth injury becomes apparent, obtaining proper treatment is essential for avoiding long-term complications that may affect a child forever. Here are common symptoms of birth injuries that can appear in different stages of childhood development. Even if you are unsure whether your child may be manifesting symptoms, get a professional opinion so you can take action if necessary - and then contact an experienced Illinois birth injuries attorney who can help you hold the responsible party or parties accountable.
Can Epilepsy Be Caused by Birth Injuries?
Generally, our brain uses its electrical signals in an organized fashion, sending messages from one part of the brain to another and allowing us to move our limbs, talk, think, and carry out daily activities. However, for people who have epilepsy, seizures are caused by sudden, uncontrolled bursts of electrical activity within the brain, causing normal thought patterns and certain physical functioning to shut down until the seizure ends.
The causes and severity of epilepsy can vary dramatically. Some people have mild seizures from time to time while others experience severe seizures much more often. While the exact cause of epilepsy is sometimes unknown, certain birth injuries during pregnancy or childbirth can make seizures more likely throughout a child’s life.
What Kinds of Birth Injuries Cause Seizures?
Some of the conditions that cause seizures are inevitable, even with the best medical care. Others, however, occur because of careless or negligent behavior on the part of doctors, nurses, or midwives. Birth injuries that may cause seizures include, but are not limited to:
What is the Difference Between a Birth Injury and a Birth Defect?
Parents of children who have been injured or killed during a traumatic childbirth in Illinois are often left reeling and desperate for answers to difficult questions. How did this happen? Could it have been avoided? Is anyone responsible? Determining answers to those questions can be quite difficult, especially because it is not always immediately clear whether the child is suffering from a birth injury or a birth defect. While these terms sound similar, they describe very different issues, and it is important to understand what each means as you seek a resolution for your and your child’s suffering.
What is a Birth Defect?
A birth defect is a congenital abnormality that can occur for several reasons, all of them having to do with the genetic development of an unborn infant. A birth defect can happen for no apparent reason; sometimes when genes copy themselves, they make small mistakes that can lead to tragic consequences. Other times, a birth defect happens because of a parent’s exposure to substances, such as alcohol or cigarette smoke, that cause a developing infant’s genes to change and function incorrectly. Examples of common birth defects include, but are not limited to:
312-462-4200
60 W Randolph Street, Suite 400,
Chicago, IL 60601
Contact Our Firm
The use of the Internet or this form for communication with the firm or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form.
I have read and understand the Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.
