Obstetric Negligence Claims & Stillbirth & Birth-Related Injury Compensation Claims.

Tearing of the vagina is a common birth injury suffered during labour. Tears are treatable but there can be complications, and the injury is often due to medical negligence. There are four degrees of severity:

• First degree tears, when the fourchette and vaginal mucosa are damaged and the underlying muscles are exposed, but not torn.
• Second degree tears affect the posterior vaginal walls and perennial muscles, but the anal sphincter remains intact.
• Third degree tears extend to the anal sphincter, but leave the rectal mucosa intact.
• Fourth degree tears impact on the anal canal, and the tear may also spread to the rectum.

An episiotomy is a quite common procedure which involves a small surgical incision being made to enlarge the vagina which helps childbirth. It is good medical practice to perform an episiotomy to help avoid tearing and other maternal injuries.

Episiotomies are necessary in the following types of situations:

• Premature delivery
• There is delay in delivery due to a rigid perineum, and an episiotomy will expedite delivery and help prevent a tear
• Instrumental delivery
• A tear seems imminent

If a vaginal tear results from the clinical negligence of your doctor or nurse, long-term complications can arise, such as perineal trauma, difficulty healing and incontinence.

Please contact the specialist injury claims lawyers here at Lanyon Bowdler to find out how we can help with a potential birth injury compensation claim.

It is a tragic fact that stillbirths can, and do, occur. Sometimes negligent medical treatment, such as the poor management of labour and delivery, is a contributing factor.

There are a number of risk factors which may result in a stillbirth:

• Age of mother
• Chronic diseases, e.g. diabetes, renal failure, hypertension
• Low birth weight
• Maternal health
• Infection
• Multiplicity of pregnancy
• Substance abuse
• Maternal country of birth
• Pregnancies with a raised maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) level
• Gestation/prematurity
• Forceps and breech deliveries
• Asphyxia, anoxia or trauma
• Pre-eclampsia
• Cord prolapse/antepartum haemorrhage
• Premature rupture of membranes

It is essential that the mother is properly monitored antenatally and during labour if there is any risk of still birth. Healthcare professionals must apply the appropriate treatment if problems are detected.

Obstetrics compensation claims are possible if the appropriate treatment and care was not provided.

Congenital abnormalities, otherwise known as birth defects, can only be detected with appropriate screening. If the appropriate tests did not take place to enable the defects to be detected, obstetrics compensation claims often arise.

One of the main purposes of the 18 to 20 week scan in pregnancy is to test whether any birth defects exist. If any problems are detected the mother will be offered, in an appropriate case with counselling, a termination. If abnormalities are not spotted and a disabled child is born, a compensation claim may exist.