Fayetteville, AR Attorney for Infant Skull Fractures or Bulges Caused During Birth
The birth of your child should be a jubilant experience for you and your entire family. Many parents will place their trust in a physician or hospital to ensure that they receive the care they need during their delivery and hospital stay. Unfortunately, some parents will be forced to deal with an injury to their child due to the negligence of a doctor or medical staff. If your child was injured when you were giving birth, contact an experienced Fayetteville birth injury attorney today.
The Kieklak Law Firm is here to provide you with the legal representation that you deserve when your child is injured during birth due to medical malpractice. We know how a birth injury can severely affect a child and your family, and we are here for you. To schedule a free legal consultation, contact the Kieklak Law Firm at (479) 316-0438, or contact us online.
Birth Injuries that Can Cause Infant Skull Fractures
The physician that is in charge of your pregnancy is responsible for ensuring that you and your child are safe during the delivery. This requires that the physician is prepared to react to any scenario where a child could be injured. However, some physicians fail to exercise caution when handling the delivery of a child. The following is a list of birth injuries that may cause an infant skull fracture.
Breech Births
As a pregnant mother approaches her delivery date, the child in her womb will begin to shift into a head-down position to make it easier to travel through the mother’s birth canal. This type of delivery presentation is referred to as occiput anterior, and it usually occurs around the 34th week of pregnancy.
If your child instead shifts into a buttocks-down position, this is referred to as breech presentation. Delivering a child that is in breech presentation is dangerous because the head could remain in the birth canal for a long period of time. This can result in an injury like a skull fracture because the child’s head was exposed to excessive pressure when passing through the mother’s pelvis.
If your child is in breech presentation, your doctor should take steps to correct or handle this issue. One possibility is that the doctor tries to turn the baby while they are still in the womb; this is known as external version. External version is a non-invasive technique as the doctor will try to turn the baby by pressing against your stomach while observing the child via ultrasound.
If the external version does not work, you may have to deliver your child by use of a cesarean birth or C-section. If your doctor does not take steps to avoid the dangers of a breech birth, they could be liable for injuries caused to a child.
Poor Use of Birthing Tools
When delivering a child, a doctor may decide to use a birthing tool to aid the delivery. The most common birthing tools that are used are vacuum suctions and forceps. A vacuum suction is attached to a child’s head in order to guide and pull them from the womb. If excessive force is exercised when using a vacuum suction, this could result in the child suffering a skull fracture.
Forceps are used to grab a body part of an infant to pull them from the womb, similar to a vacuum suction. However, a physician must exercise caution when using this device as it could crush or bruise a child if it used improperly.
Above Average Infant Birth Weight
The average birth weight of an infant is about 7.5 pounds. When a baby exceeds this weight by even a few pounds, it may become dangerous for a mother to deliver the child vaginally. There is a greater risk that the child could get stuck in the birth canal and suffer a serious injury like a head bulge or fracture.
While the skull of an infant is not fused and is practically designed to pass safely through the birth canal, if a child is too large for the mother to deliver vaginally, there are various issues that may occur for the child and mother.
If you believe your medical practitioner acted negligently when delivering your child, our firm can help you evaluate your claim.
Our Fayetteville Infant Skull Fracture Lawyer is Ready to Work with You
If your child was the victim of an injury due to a physician’s negligence, consult with an experienced Fayetteville medical malpractice lawyer today. Malpractice lawyer Ken Kieklak has over two decades of legal experience handling a variety of cases, and he would be honored to represent you against a negligent hospital responsible for your child’s injuries. To schedule a free legal consultation, contact the Kieklak Law Firm at (479) 316-0438.