How Can Parents Tell If a Hospital Is Properly Monitoring a Baby During Labor?

baby after birth

How could a hospital fail to properly monitor a baby during labor? Our birth injury law firm secured a $4.5 million settlement for the family of a newborn baby that suffered severe and permanent neurological injuries as the result of nurses failing to notice and react as soon as necessary to fetal heart rate abnormalities. We proved that the nursing staff decided to wait to notify the doctor about the abnormalities in the baby’s heart rate, because the incident occurred during shift change.

Signs of Hospital Negligence During Childbirth

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Here are a few signs of hospital negligence that parents can look for during labor:

  • Not responding to fetal distress
  • Improperly using a vacuum extractor or forceps
  • Failing to order a C-section a quickly as necessary
  • Not anticipating complications that are the result of the baby’s umbilical cord getting tangled or the baby being larger than average

What do you think hospitals should do to make sure babies are properly monitored during childbirth? Share your opinion in the comment section below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Google+ pages.

As founder and senior shareholder of the firm, personal injury lawyer Stewart J. Eisenberg has represented victims of catastrophic injury and wrongful death for more than 35 years. He is one of the region’s most accomplished trial lawyers, with a long list of awards and recognition.