English
Many people wonder whether medical negligence can happen during pregnancy and what situations would count as medical negligence.
Negligence can happen at many stages due to oversights, incorrect advice and failure from professionals to take into account pre-existing medical conditions and medication.
Pregnancy can be an exciting, yet daunting time for expectant parents. Pregnant women, particularly first-time mothers, rely on the expertise of medical professionals to give them trustworthy advice and guidance throughout their antenatal care. These professionals have a duty of care to identify and manage any risks or complications. If any medical professional, including doctors, midwives or gynaecologists, do not provide accurate and timely advice and recommendations, this can count as medical negligence.
Our specialist Medical Negligence Solicitors have recovered millions of pounds for people affected by injuries during birth, but many people don't realise that negligence can happen during pregnancy too.
Negligence can lead to conditions that have lifelong consequences not just for the child, but for parents and loved ones. Parents or loved ones may need to provide special care for the child for their entire lives. This can drastically affect everything from their lifestyles, routines, careers, homes and expenditures. You should not have to suffer from the emotional and financial consequences if your care during pregnancy was inadequate. We’ve listed some examples of medical negligence during pregnancy this in this article.
We're rated‘Excellent’Medical professionals should carry out regular screening tests during pregnancy, to check whether your child has any birth defects. These include genetic and hereditary defects like Down’s syndrome and cystic fibrosis. Parents rely on this information being accurate and correct, to decide whether to go forward with the pregnancy. Some parents may decide to terminate the pregnancy if they’re told their baby will suffer with a serious medical condition.
Unfortunately, if healthcare professionals don’t conduct regular tests or take action after seeing abnormal results, it can even lead to stillbirths. Stillbirths can be extremely devastating and, if you find out something could have been done to prevent it during your pregnancy, this can be even more traumatising.
If you’re thinking of claiming compensation for this, our expert lawyers have years of experience thoroughly handling cases like these with sensitivity. You can contact us today for advice and a Free Case Assessment. We’ll listen and find out everything we can to see if you might have a strong case for compensation, and we’ll support you all the way through.
The healthcare that expectant mothers and babies receive during pregnancy is generally of a very high quality in this country. However, despite this and many awareness campaigns, some tragedies and complications do happen.
Illnesses, complications and injuries that may occur due to medical negligence in pregnancy include:
You may have decided to terminate your pregnancy by means of abortion. Or, you may have tried to prevent pregnancy happening in the first place through sterilization, vasectomy or pregnancy testing. Contraception failure can also happen if it’s carried out insubstantially, for example faulty implementation of an implant. If these methods fail due to negligence on the part of a medical professional, you might be able to make a ‘wrongful pregnancy’ claim.
The compensation could cover the cost of any operation or medical procedures that resulted from the pregnancy. It could also cover any income you may have or the cost of pregnancy and labor if you decide to forward with the pregnancy. However, it should be noted that there’ll be no financial settlement to cover the cost of raising a child.
Miscarriage negligence can happen if a woman isn’t adequately monitored when she is known to be at high risk during pregnancy. This could be due to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure. Miscarriage negligence can also happen if a woman is given medical treatment without first being checked for pregnancy, and this leads to miscarriage.
If you’re on medication due to a pre-existing medical condition, your doctor should make sure this is taken into account if you become pregnant. Medical professionals should also make sure they advise you to take the correct vitamins and supplements during pregnancy, especially if you’ve become pregnant later in life.
We have seen, for example, cases where women with epilepsy were on sodium vaporate, which can cause birth defects and learning and development problems in babies. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued rules about how doctors can prescribe valproate medicines. They state that doctors must not prescribe valproate to women or girls of childbearing age, unless they are on the Valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme. This aims to make sure that women taking valproates are aware of the risks in pregnancy, and are using highly effective contraception to avoid becoming pregnant.
It can be confusing to work out whether your medication was incorrectly managed during pregnancy. We encourage you to contact us for a Free Case Assessment, as our lawyers have years of expertise with a range of cases of medical negligence during pregnancy. We can assess the likelihood of you getting compensation before you decide to go through with your claim.
Bringing a case against the healthcare system can play an important role in preventing cases like these happening to somebody else. They can also help improve procedures, maintaining a high standard of care in the medical community.
Getting compensation cannot undo what you, your baby and loved ones have been through. But it can help to move on and get closure from the situation, and ease financial stress.
You can contact our Medical Negligence lawyers who are specialists in these cases. We’ll tell you where you stand and keep you informed so you can get the best possible outcome. Our goal is to help you get the guidance and recovery that you deserve, no matter what you’ve been through.
Fill in the form below to get in touch with one of our dedicated team members, or call our team today on: 0808 239 6043
