Women give birth in all sorts of places and ways, yet most in the U.S. will give birth in a hospital, under the supervision of a medical team.
Sometimes the doctors spot something that makes them decide to intervene for the safety of the mother and child. While they might be intervening for the right reasons it can raise the risk of injury to mother and child.
Here are some of those possible scenarios:
1. The baby is breached
Pushing a baby out can be hard enough when it is perfectly aligned inside the womb. Yet, if the baby is breached or in some other awkward position it can be next to impossible. Hence doctors may choose to realign the baby to make it easier for the mother to continue.
They may use forceps to pull the baby around into position. Using hard metal objects to grab a delicate body inside a delicate part of a woman’s body has obvious injury potential if the doctors do not exercise sufficient skill and care.
2. Medical complications
This could be a complication due to ongoing issues with the mother’s health, or something that has arisen in the last few minutes. While doctors may not always have much time to act, they need to make the appropriate decision and execute it with appropriate care.
3. The mother is struggling due to pain or exhaustion
Doctors have a host of drugs available to make labor easier, including anesthesia and strong painkillers. Each needs to be chosen, administered and monitored with great care as they could potentially cause serious problems.
If something goes wrong, you may want help to understand why and to find out if you have reason to claim malpractice.