Find out what a breech baby is and how it can lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit.
“Breech baby” refers to a situation in which a baby is positioned with his or her feet down rather than head down during delivery. It happens in about 3-5% of pregnancies and can lead to many complications, including the cutting off of the baby’s oxygen supply via the umbilical cord. A doctor has a duty to recognize a breech baby and take precautions to ensure a safe pregnancy.
If a baby is delivered in the breech position and suffers injury or harm, the parents may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor. A malpractice lawyer from Newsome | Melton can help. For a free case evaluation, call 888-526-8947.
Liability for Complications from a Breech Delivery
Babies spend most of their gestation in the feet-down position. But in a normal, healthy pregnancy, the baby turns during the final weeks of pregnancy, positioning his or her head down to prepare for birth. In the rare case this step does not happen, a medical practitioner must act to promote a safe delivery. The doctor’s options include trying to manually turn the baby or, failing that, ordering a C-section delivery.
If your baby remains in the breech position late in pregnancy, your doctor should be able to feel through your stomach that the baby has not yet turned. A doctor who fails to take this step and hence does not realize a breech birth is taking place when labor begins has likely committed negligence. The same is true for a doctor who recognizes a breech baby but does not take aggressive enough steps to respond to the situation.
Risk Factors That Increase the Chance of a Breech Baby
Several risk factors make certain women more likely to deliver breech babies, including:
- Multiple past pregnancies
- Multiple babies in one pregnancy
- Previous premature births
- Too much or too little amniotic fluid
- Uterine complications, such as fibrosis or an abnormal shape
- Placenta previa
If you have one or more of these risk factors, your doctor should recognize it and be vigilant about screening you for a breech pregnancy as your due date approaches. A doctor who fails to take this step may be liable for malpractice if a breech delivery occurs and leads to the baby’s harm.
Call Newsome | Melton Today for a Free Breech Baby Medical Malpractice Evaluation
The medical malpractice lawyers at Newsome | Melton can help you recover damages from your doctor. If your baby suffered injuries from a breech delivery, we want to hear from you. We offer a free consultation and work on a no-win-no-fee basis. Call us at 888-526-8947 to speak with a team member today.
Breech Baby - Frequently Asked Questions
If you believe you might have been the victim of medical negligence, you could have the basis for a medical malpractice claim. A lawyer can investigate your medical malpractice case, following the rules of evidence and civil procedure to obtain documents and records. If an attorney can get convincing proof, you could recover damages. At
Read More
Because locked-in syndrome affects all voluntary muscles, including those that control breathing, pulmonary complications may be a concern for patients. Upon developing the condition, many patients must undergo a tracheotomy to have a breathing tube inserted, as they lack the muscle movement even to take a breath on their own. The constant immobilization caused by
Read MoreBreech Baby - News Articles
Toniquea Rivers was just seven months into her pregnancy when she was rushed to the Saint Francis Medical Center in Trenton, NJ. Rivers’ doctors found that her baby was in distress and scheduled an emergency caesarean section for that day. Her baby boy, Zion Rivers, was successfully delivered on January 27, 2012 by C-section. Soon
Read More
After Marlande Lazard moved from Haiti to Miami 26 years ago, she began traveling back to the Caribbean island on medical missions, determined to teach women there how to check themselves for breast cancer. So, four years ago when she felt a lump on her chest, she knew that she needed to go to the
Read More