Injuries sustained at birthing centres

Serious injuries to both mother and baby can occur if the mother’s labour and delivery are not managed with reasonable care and skill in a birthing centre. Women can sustain internal injuries such as lacerations and can lose a significant volume of blood, which can be life-threating and even fatal for some women. Babies can also sustain lacerations and physical injuries as well as profound injuries such as brain damage that results is lifelong disability and even demise of the baby.

One woman’s experience of giving birth at a birthing centre could vary greatly from the experience of another. Some factors that may commonly influence your experience at a birthing centre include the number of available midwives that day, their level of skill and experience, and how busy the birthing centre is at the time of your admission to give birth. A huge factor that influences a woman’s experience of giving birth at a birthing centre is whether she is a suitable candidate to give birth at a birthing centre. A woman that develops complications during the antenatal period and/or is expected to develop complications during her labour and delivery is not a suitable candidate to give birth at a birthing centre as this increases the risk of injury to the mother and her unborn child.

Some of the potential causes of injury during childbirth at birthing centres include a failure to monitor the heart rate of the baby adequately and regularly before birth, failure to accurately interpret a CTG trace and failure to identify medical situations that require urgent obstetric intervention.

If your baby sustained an injury at, or around, the time of birth, it is likely that your child has needs for treatment and even care, which are often expensive. You must diligently contact a specialist birth injury solicitor. The solicitor will promptly request your obstetric medical records and your baby’s antenatal records in order to explore the circumstances that gave rise to your child’s injury. You must not delay exploring your child’s entitlement to compensation as compensation is usually significant and enables your child to access expenses treatments and early intervention, and have the best quality of life possible.

If you or your child suffered an injury while giving birth at a birthing centre and you suspect that the injury occurred as a result of a failure to manage your labour and delivery with reasonable care, it is wise to seek legal advice from an experienced solicitor. Your solicitor will explore the level of care that was provided to you at the birthing centre and will provide you with advice on the viability of your claim. Your solicitor will investigate a claim on your behalf and obtain the necessary evidence on your behalf. Ultimately, expert opinion will be required in support of the allegations of negligence and the cause of the injury you or your child sustained.