3 Harmful Myths about Birth Injuries

A birth injury can change you and your baby’s life forever. Although some birth injuries can result from genetic abnormalities, others may be caused by the mistakes made by medical professionals before, during and/or after the delivery of the baby.

Understanding when such medical mistakes have contributed to birth injuries can be key to knowing when to take action and hold the negligent medical professional(s) accountable.

To this end, we have dispelled a few of the more common and harmful myths about birth injuries below.

Parents, Don’t Be Misled by These Birth Injury Myths

1 – Most birth injuries are not preventable.

This is a deceptive myth about birth injuries because, while some may not be preventable, many could have, in fact, been prevented if medical professionals had been more careful or attentive in providing care to pregnant mothers and/or their babies.

This may, perhaps, be best elucidated by pointing out some of the more common medical mistakes that contribute to birth injuries, such as:

• Failures to detect and immediately treat maternal infections and/or umbilical prolapse
• Failures to identify and promptly treat signs of fetal distress, such as dangerous changes in a baby’s heartrate
• Failures to perform C-sections when, for instance, babies are very large and/or there are clear signs that a C-section must be done for a safe delivery (for the mom and baby)
• Misusing forceps and/or vacuum extraction when delivering infants.

2 – My doctor said that (s)he didn’t cause the birth injuries, and I don’t think there was anything (s)he could have done differently to prevent them.

A doctor or other medical professionals who may have caused birth injuries will probably be very reluctant to admit this to you. Additionally, unless you are a medical professional who has been involved in the birthing process, you may not have the insight needed to understand when and how birth injuries may have been caused (or exacerbated) by medical negligence.

So, the bottom line here is that you should not necessarily trust the word of the doctors involved in the labor and delivery of your infant. Nor should you give these doctors the benefit of the doubt. Instead, it’s best to consult with a lawyer who can carefully review your case and provide you with honest answers about:

• Whether medical negligence did, in fact, play a role in causing your child’s birth injuries
• Your best options for pursuing justice and financial recovery.

3 – Even if I have a birth injury case, it’s way too late for me to do anything about it.

This is not necessarily true, as Illinois law provides a window of time within which medical negligence and birth injury cases can be filed. This timeframe, which is the statute of limitations, is two (2) years from the date on which the birth injury occurred – or when the injury was discovered/diagnosed.

So, even if your infant was born more than a year ago, you still have time to move forward with a case and seek financial recovery via a birth injury lawsuit.

Contact a Mount Vernon Birth Injury Lawyer at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C.

If your infant or anyone you love may have been harmed by any type of medical negligence, contact an experienced Mount Vernon birth injury lawyer at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C.

Call us today at (888) 896-9381 or email us using the contact form on this page. We can provide you with a free, thorough assessment of your case, along with professional advice regarding the best manner in which to move forward.