Bleeding in late pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of high hopes and high anxieties. Fortunately, for most people the process ends happily in the great wonder of birth and life, meaning the difficult issue of birth injury compensation is one that does not arise.

Inevitably though, many women will experience some kind of complication during their pregnancy. While for the majority of these women it is something that can be resolved with simple skilled medical intervention, there are some who need significant medical help. It is when this help falls below an acceptable standard that questions of birth injury compensation must be asked.

Bleeding in late pregnancy is for the most part, though a worrying phenomenon, not necessarily a cause for panic. Around 3% of pregnancies are affected, and only a minority of these will ever become the subject of birth injury compensation claims.

Bleeding is considered to be late' when it occurs at any time from the twentieth week of pregnancy. Any kind of bleeding in pregnancy needs to be investigated, however, so women who are experiencing this should immediately contact a suitable medical professional.

While light bleeding (spotting) usually has an innocuous explanation, heavy bleeding can be extremely serious and lead to fainting or collapse. Heavy bleeding may even cause damage to the kidneys or clotting system.

Other dangers associated with heavy bleeding are the development of anaemia or, in the worst cases, an impaired supply of blood to the womb having a detrimental impact on the development of the unborn child.

If attendant medical professionals fail to identify or manage a problem that later causes birth injuries or other related health issues, patients may later have a case for birth injury compensation.

Two common causes of late bleeding in pregnancy
Chances are that any bleeding in the later stages of pregnancy is caused by perfectly normal developments in the cervix. However, two conditions sometimes associated with birth injury compensation claims that should be immediately managed by the medical profession are placenta praevia and placental abruption:

Placenta praevia This is a condition caused when the placenta shifts to the lower part of the uterus causing partial or total cervical obstruction. If the placenta stretches to such a point as it becomes detached, severe bleeding, even haemorrhaging, may result. If the placenta is completely covering the womb then a caesarean section will be necessary.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) have published guidelines strongly advising that women whose placenta obscures the cervix during any time in pregnancy be given the option of an extra ultrasound scan when they reach 36 weeks of pregnancy. Failure to give women this option may contribute to grounds for a future birth injury compensation claim.

Placental abruption This occurs when the placenta prematurely separates from the uterus. The blood vessels which transfer nutrients to the foetus begin to detach and bleed. Placental abruption may cause stillbirth, post-delivery haemorrhage, reduced blood flow, blood clotting difficulties or haemorrhage.

If a pregnancy is complicated by placental abruption, doctors will almost certainly have to perform a caesarean, and in some cases may have also have to perform a blood transfusion.

The vast majority of maternity and obstetric medical professionals will skilfully and sensitively do whatever is best to manage a placental abruption. However, in cases where there has been a failure in identifying and treating placental abruption, issues of birth injury compensation may become pertinent.

Making a birth injury compensation claim
If you have suffered a birth injury or birth complication as a result of some form of medical negligence you may be entitled to claim birth injury compensation.

Here at YouClaim we have a panel of sensitive and skilled personal injury solicitors who have a remarkable success rate in dealing with birth injury compensation claims.

We understand that when someone has been through a difficult or traumatic time they do not want to risk financial uncertainty. This is why we guarantee that if your claim is unsuccessful you will not have to pay a penny of the opposing side's legal costs. We can do this as we take out an insurance policy on the claimant's behalf to cover them for this eventuality. This makes us truly no win, no fee.

Also, if you win, you will get to keep 100% of the compensation given to you. This is because we believe that justice should be yours and not just be a means of lining someone else's pockets. It is all part of our ethical approach to no win, no fee claims.

So why not investigate your right to compensation today?
We can be reached in one of four ways: request a call back at a time convenient to you, discuss your claim with one of skilled legal advisors using e-chat, fill out an easy-to-use online claims form or, alternatively, call us now on 0800 10 757 95.