Pregnancy lasts for about 40 weeks or nine months. Oftentimes, babies are born before their due dates, making them premature. However, with proper medical care and monitoring throughout pregnancy, many of these premature births could have been prevented.
When your child is born prematurely, you may be eligible to pursue a birth injury claim against the doctor or medical staff in charge of your pregnancy and delivery. An Upper Marlboro premature delivery injury lawyer can review the facts to see if you have a viable legal claim.
Long-Term Effects of Premature Delivery
While giving birth a few days or even a few weeks before a due date is typically not dangerous, going into labor too early can cause many different health problems that affect a child throughout their life. Babies who are born too soon can often have difficulties such as:
- Jaundice
- Hearing loss
- Cerebral palsy
- Difficulty feeding
- Vision difficulties
- Digestive problems
- Cognitive disabilities
- Respiratory problems because their lungs are not fully developed
Additionally, many premature babies experience developmental delays that are not always apparent right at birth and only become noticeable when they miss standard developmental markers as they grow up. Sadly, some premature births can also lead to death.
Caring for a premature infant is challenging. They often spend weeks or months in the neonatal intensive care unit. After being discharged, they might require a feeding tube or supplemental oxygen to help them breathe. To give a premature baby the best chance of leading a normal life, continued medical care and dedicated physical and occupational therapy are often necessary to help them catch up to their peers. Depending on the severity of their birth injuries, they might need specialized schooling or alternative care.
A seasoned Upper Marlboro premature delivery injury attorney can discuss the child’s needs and help the family pursue compensation for their current and future expected medical bills, the child’s pain and suffering, and other reasonable expenses. If a child dies from being born too early, the compassionate legal team can help the family seek accountability in a wrongful death lawsuit.
How Negligence Can Lead to Premature Delivery
If an obstetrician or midwife acts appropriately and follows standard medical actions and protocol, they can often predict and sometimes prevent premature births. Doctors should always be on the lookout for risk factors that can elevate the chance of a premature delivery, including:
- Multiple gestation
- Placenta problems
- Mother’s infection
- Incompetent cervix
- Mother’s history of a prior preterm birth
- Mother’s health conditions, such as high blood pressure or gestational diabetes
If a doctor suspects their patient could go into early labor, they can order at-home or in-hospital bed rest or put the patient on anti-labor medications to try to slow down the labor. Even if they cannot prevent the premature delivery of an infant, doctors can prevent serious birth injuries in an infant, such as by giving the mother steroids to help the baby’s lungs develop earlier. Quality postnatal care of a preterm infant is critical; an experienced legal team in Upper Marlboro can review the medical records to see if the patient was cared for negligently.
Contact an Upper Marlboro Premature Delivery Attorney Today
Delivering a baby prematurely can be terrifying since you do not know what the long-term consequences can be. When your child experiences a birth injury during their premature delivery because a doctor acted negligently, your family may be able to collect compensation with the help of a legal professional at Price Benowitz.
Contact a dedicated Upper Marlboro premature delivery lawyer today to get started on your legal claim.
