If your child’s life was invariably altered because of a negligent mistake caused by a medical professional during delivery, then holding that person accountable legally is a step toward the recovery you likely need. With the medical bills piling up and the required care your child now needs, ignoring the potential for a lawsuit could only make your situation more challenging. With a Chattanooga premature delivery lawyer’s experience, however, you could recover the compensation you and your child need. Reach out to one of our lawyers today.
Defining Premature Deliveries
A premature delivery is a delivery before a child reaches what is called full term. Full-term labor is determined to be about 36 weeks of gestation, and any delivery before that week would be called premature.
Premature delivery comes from a whole host of causes. It could come from problems in the mother’s health, problems with the fetus, the result of placental abruption, the result of poor nutrition, and many other potential causes.
Normally, a premature infant would be taken to a special unit in the hospital where he or she is given very specific care where all of the hospital’s different systems are monitored. In these moments, medical professionals are trying to create an environment that is most likely to allow the infant to continue to develop and to reach complete and full development the way the infant would have reached in the womb.
Injuries Associated with Premature Births
Premature delivery comes with many complications. It is often associated with breathing problems and with underdeveloped lungs. The baby often has heart problems where the heart is not fully formed, and, sometimes, medical professionals notice these problems. In the worst of situations, they neglect them.
Births that occur too early could be associated with an undeveloped brain. These births could also include brain problems, brain damage, brain hemorrhages, gastrointestinal problems, digestive problems in the child, anemia, problems with creating red blood cells, metabolic disorders, immune system deficiencies, and a lot of ongoing problems as far as poor functioning and delayed development even well after childbirth.
For new mothers who suspect that their child was injured because of a premature delivery, a Chattanooga lawyer could help them recover compensation for their child’s injuries that include the child’s neede future care.
Long-Term Effects
Long-term complications are very common for babies that are born prematurely. Complications include conditions like cerebral palsy or other types of muscular dysfunction. Premature delivery is often associated with mental developmental delays where a child may have learning impairments. Sometimes, they suffer from eye problems; they suffer from retinal development problems that cause vision problems. They often seem to have hearing loss.
As a result, the parents and families of these victimized children are left with the burden of supporting their child through his or her life. This is unfair when the support required stemmed from a negligent accident by a medical professional. Fortunately, victims could use the help and experience of a Chattanooga premature delivery lawyer to help recover monetary awards from a settlement or jury verdict that could aid a child’s future needs.
Important Steps Doctors Should Take to Prevent Accidental Early Births
There are many occasions where premature delivery is preventable. The doctors need to pay close attention. They need to look for warning signs and risk factors for premature delivery and take special care. Sometimes, it is an issue of restricting the mother’s activity. Sometimes, they may provide certain medications or supplements to women to bolster hormones and decrease the risk of premature delivery. Sometimes, there are even surgeries that could be performed to strengthen a woman’s cervix if that is the area that may cause the premature delivery.
Initial Steps Following the Discovery of Malpractice
The mother needs to try to maintain any evidence she has, to make notes of anything that she may not be able to remember, to keep any records or instructions that were provided the mother by medical professionals, and to pay close attention and ask questions of the doctors. The mother should then contact an attorney and let the attorney start the investigation and see what could be uncovered to identify whether malpractice has, in fact, occurred.
Contact One of Our Chattanooga Premature Deliveries Lawyer for Help
You should not have to bear the burden of your child’s future if the complications you now have to account for stem from the negligent mistakes of a medical professional. A Chattanooga premature delivery lawyer could help you recover the compensation you need to address the injuries your child has sustained. While monetary compensation cannot undo the negligent act and subsequent injuries, it could provide for your child’s future needs. Reach out to us today.
