Both you and your medical professional alike may not have anticipated a complicated birth until you are already in the delivery room. But you may entrust the medical professional to work under pressure well and know what to do. It may be nothing less than devastating if they make a mistake and you or your newborn are injured as a result. For one, this may result if they incorrectly use the forceps. Continue reading to learn what happens if a medical professional improperly uses forceps and how one of the experienced forcep & vacuum extraction injuries attorneys at Mark L. Bodner, P.C. can help you fight back.
What happens if a medical professional improperly uses forceps?
First of all, forceps are a type of surgical instrument that is used for grasping and holding objects. Meaning, a forceps birth delivery is a type of assisted birth delivery that may allow you to deliver your newborn vaginally when your labor is not processing or undergoing complications. For example, your medical professional may make the executive decision to utilize forceps if your newborn is relatively large and is having difficulty moving through your birth canal. Or, they may be used if your newborn is in a breached or transverse position and needs to be readjusted.
It is imperative that your medical professional uses the forceps properly or otherwise places them on your newborn’s head properly. Otherwise, serious injuries may ensue. Your newborn may incur a skull fracture or even brain hemorrhages. Or, you may experience urinary issues and other injuries indefinitely.
What argument can I make for my medical malpractice claim?
You may be confident in the fact that the medical professional operating your forceps birth delivery was the direct cause of your or your newborn’s injury. But your word may not be enough for your medical malpractice claim. That is, you may need to collect an abundance of evidence that points to the following statements as true:
- You were the patient of the medical professional in question, so they owed you a certain duty of care.
- The medical professional in question acted in a manner that was below the standard of care established in the medical community, so they breached their duty of care.
- The medical professional unnecessarily or improperly used forceps during your birth delivery, so you and/or your newborn incurred a serious injury.
And with this, included in such evidence may be doctor’s notes relaying the severity of the birth injury, testimonies from other medical professionals present in the delivery room, and testimonies from loved ones on how this birth injury has impacted your or your newborn’s quality of life, among other things.
Regardless of what your specific circumstances may be, you must not second-guess your instinct to retain the services of a skilled New York City birth injury attorney from Mark L. Bodner, P.C. Schedule your free initial consultation with our firm today.