First-time mother wins compensation after ventouse birth accident
We are contacted by many mothers who have experienced birth accidents which have affected the health of both themselves and their babies, just like the 34-year-old woman from Cambridgeshire who sustained personal injury during a ventouse delivery.
She told us how she began to have contractions and went to the hospital only to be told that her contractions were still too far apart and they didn't have enough beds. She returned home but her contractions got stronger and more painful, so after a few hours she called the hospital but a midwife told her that her birth still didn't sound close enough.
Since this was her first baby, the woman was unsure what to expect but after having contractions that varied in strength for 20 hours her husband decided that it was time that she was admitted to the maternity ward.
She was examined by an obstetrician who said that she was only 7mm dilated and that birth was a while off yet. Scared and unsure, the woman was left to her own devices and it was a further six hours before a midwife came to check on her again. The mother-to-be had only had three hours sleep in two days and when it came to pushing she was absolutely exhausted.
The pain was unbearable and she asked for an epidural but was told she was too far along for this. She had such trouble pushing that her son had to be born by ventouse, where a silicone suction cap is fitted onto the baby's head like a skull cap and air is sucked out of it using a suction device in order to aid pulling the baby out of the vagina while the mother pushes.
It took several attempts to fit the cap properly to the baby's head, delaying delivery time and distressing both mother and her unborn child. After the baby was at last delivered he developed a cephalhaematoma, a blood blister on his skull. This only affected the scalp tissues and did not result in a brain injury but it took eight weeks for the blister to be reabsorbed, a worrying time for the new parents.
This first time mum was doubly distressed as she had been looking forward to experiencing a natural birth. She had also spent so much time pushing and contracting that she had torn her cervix and her uterus was struggling to contract back down. She had to be taken to theatre for fissures and it took her a number of weeks to recover from the pain and distress the traumatic birth injuries caused.
We were able to help this mother to claim compensation for birth accidents as it was found that the hospital where she had given birth was guilty of medical negligence in the deliveryof her child. It turned out she should have been taken onto the maternity ward much sooner and received more assistance with the delivery. It was determined that she was entitled to a four figure sum of birth injury compensation.
Although, no amount of money could make up for the trauma that she experienced during her first birth, recognition that the birth accident should never have happened encouraged her that she shouldn't be too frightened to try for another baby.
Claim for compensation following a birth accident
Have you or your baby suffered personal injury after being involved in a birth accident? You could be in a position to make a claim for the compensation that is rightfully yours.
We are aware of how a birth accident can affect you both physically and mentally and we are here to help.
YouClaim are the experts when it comes to claims for birth accidents. When you contact us we will deal with your claim compassionately and confidentially and help you to get the most compensation available for your type of personal injury.
Working on a no win, no fee basis, a member from our panel of specialist personal injury solicitors will represent your case and be at hand to offer you free legal advice.
For more information about our services talk to us online via e-chat, request a call back for a time that's convenient for you, fill in an online claim assessment or give us a call on 0800 10 757 95 to make a compensation claim for a birth accident today.
