There is an undeniable excitement when a woman is having a baby in Los Angeles. That, however, can be tempered if there is a possible medical issue that might have been missed by the doctor or was improperly treated. Many problems can arise during pregnancy. One of the most damaging and dangerous is placental abruptions. Knowing how and why this can happen will provide information as to whether or not a negligent doctor or medical staff could have done something about it, before it caused injury to the baby and mother and resulted in the need for long-term care.
The placenta provides protection and nourishment for the baby while in the mother’s womb. Placental abruption occurs when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus in part or completely. This can harm the health of the child. Placental abruption happens about one percent of the time and it often occurs in the third trimester. If the case is mild, there might not be any long-term issues. Severe placental abruptions are dangerous. If the placental abruption is severe, there might be growth problems for the baby; he or she might be born prematurely; or there could be a stillbirth. A mild placental abruption frequently needs little more than monitoring to ensure the mother and child are not in jeopardy. With more moderate to severe placental abruptions, it might be necessary to expedite the birth with a Cesarean section. The mother can lose a significant amount of blood and even need a hysterectomy.
Drug use, cigarettes and age can have an affect on whether or not a placental abruption occurs. A mother who has high blood pressure, a uterine infection, a prior abruption, and other factors can play into this happening. In some instances, a medical mistake led to the placental abruption not being diagnosed or the aftereffects being worsened and the mother and child suffering injury as a result.
Understanding how the problems came into being and if the doctor should have done something differently is important when caring for a child that might have medical issues after birth. If there is a belief that could have avoided was missed and the health problems resulted or the baby was somehow further damaged by medical error, it is imperative that a full investigation be conducted with the help of a legal professional.
Source: MarchOfDimes.org, “Placental Abruption,” accessed on March 3, 2015
