Chicago Placenta Birth Injury Attorney
The placenta plays an extremely important role in every pregnancy, but when a healthcare provider is negligent, placental birth injuries can occur. Indeed, there are many different types of issues with the placenta that a person can experience during pregnancy, and if certain conditions are not properly identified and treated, the baby can suffer serious and life-threatening birth injuries. If your baby sustained a placenta birth injury and you believe your healthcare provider may be responsible, you should seek advice from a Chicago placenta birth injury attorney as soon as you can. One of our lawyers can evaluate your case for you today.
What is the Placenta, and How Does It Work?
In order to understand how placenta birth injuries occur, it is important to understand first what the placenta is and how it works. As the Mayo Clinic explains, the placenta “is an organ that develops in your uterus during pregnancy,” and it “provides oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby and removes waste products from your baby’s blood.” The baby umbilical cord is connected to the placenta, and the placenta is “usually attached to the top, side, front, or back of the uterus.” When the placenta attaches to another part of the uterus, birth injuries may occur.
There are a number of risk factors that can result in placenta issues during pregnancy. According to the Mayo Clinic, any of the following factors should impact how a healthcare provider manages a person’s pregnancy, and should be considerations in the event a possible placenta issue arises:
- Older pregnancy, especially over the age of 40;
- Early water breaking before labor starts;
- Mother having high blood pressure;
- Multiple pregnancy, such as with twins or triplets;
- Mother having a blood-clotting disorder;
- Mother having a history of uterine surgery, such as a previous cesarean section (C-section) or past surgery for the removal of fibroids;
- Placenta problems in previous pregnancies;
- Mother’s substance abuse; and
- Any trauma to the abdomen.
Common Types of Placental Injuries and Problems in Chicago Pregnancies and Deliveries
The following are among the most common types of placental injuries and may allow for a medical negligence or birth injury claim:
- Placental abruption;
- Placenta previa;
- Placenta accreta; and
- Retained placenta.
If you have any signs or symptoms of placental issues during pregnancy, such as vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, or back pain, you should seek help from your doctor.
Contact a Chicago Placenta Birth Injury Attorney
If you or your baby suffered serious harm due to a placental injury that could have been prevented, your obstetrician or another healthcare provider may be responsible for medical negligence and any resulting birth injuries. There are many different types of placental problems that can occur in a pregnancy, and some mothers have more risk factors for placental health problems than others. Healthcare providers have a duty to recognize potential risks, to monitor pregnant women, and to provide appropriate treatment so that the mother and baby are healthy.
If you believe your doctor made an error, you should seek advice from one of our Chicago placenta birth injury lawyers today. Contact Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC to learn more.
