Knowledgeable and Experienced Guidance

Midwifery VS hospitals: Both can lead to birth injuries

On Behalf of | Nov 11, 2015 | Birth Injuries |

In the medical and healthcare industry, there is virtually no room for error. The birth of a baby is usually quite safe regardless of where the birth takes place. After all, women have been delivering babies since the dawn of mankind and the healthy world population proves that the human body knows how to birth a child. However, mistakes still happen and they can occur inside the safety of a hospital and in a home birth situation as well.

Midwives have been assisting women with their pregnancies and deliveries for many generations. In bygone days, a midwife was often the only choice available for pregnant women. Today, many expectant mothers still choose midwifery over obstetricians and hospital deliveries for reasons of their own.

Both midwifery and hospital births are largely accepted as safe methods of delivering infants, but is one safer than the other? No definitive answer exists and there are many opposing viewpoints on the subject.

Some of the birth injury risks that can accompany a midwife delivery include:

— Lack of emergency medical training so if a problem arises, the midwife may not be able to help

— Lack of emergency medical equipment for newborns who are not breathing

— Lack of solutions to speed the labor process, which could lead to infant brain injury if the mother labors for 18 hours or longer

Of course, birth injuries can just as easily happen in a hospital. Some of the injury risks in this birthing situation include: Erb’s palsy, medication errors and mistakes in the administration of infant tests and screenings.

As a parent expecting a newborn, you want your infant to be as strong and healthy as possible. If tragedy does occur and a preventable birth injury is the cause, you will want a North Carolina personal injury attorney with the experience and skill to see your case through to the end.

Source: Birth Injury Guide, “Negligent Hospital Staff or Midwife,” accessed Nov. 11, 2015