The Dangers of Delayed C-Sections: How Waiting Can Lead to Birth Injuries

Every person is unique, as are the circumstances of their births, so bringing a new life into the world can look very different from one family to the next. For many reasons, such as the health of the parent and child, a vaginal delivery is not always feasible. In this case, newborns are delivered through a procedure known as a C-section. Unfortunately, any delay in deciding whether or not an unplanned C-section should be performed can result in serious injuries to both the mother and child.  If your child was injured due to a medical professional’s decision to wait before performing a C-section, you need legal guidance from an experienced birth injury attorney. Rasansky Law Firm offers a free initial consultation to all personal injury victims, including the families of those harmed by delayed C-sections. 

What Are Delayed C-Sections?

A Caesarean section, or C-section, is a surgical procedure that allows a baby to be delivered via an incision in the mother’s uterus and abdomen. These allow doctors to deliver babies non-vaginally in cases where doing so could cause considerable injury or harm to the mother, child, or both.

C-sections are often planned ahead of time, especially if the mother develops complications or has had another baby through a C-section. In many cases, however, the need for a C-section does not become apparent until the mother is already in labor, making the surgical procedure both extremely sensitive and rather urgent. 

If a vaginal birth is expected to be dangerous, the doctor can order a C-section. Once a vaginal birth is recognized as not being a safe method of delivery, time becomes a critical factor in the health of both mother and baby. Any hesitation in the ordering or performance of a C-section could have drastic repercussions, up to and including lifelong injuries and wrongful death.

Some of the circumstances under which a doctor might order a C-section include:

• Abnormal positioning of the infant
• Multiple births
• Prolonged or stalled labor 
• Issues with the placenta
• The baby’s neck is caught in the umbilical cord
• Medical conditions, such as spinal cord or heart problems  
• Infections the mother could pass to the infant during a vaginal birth
• The baby has a disorder or an anomaly 
• The baby is not getting enough oxygen

If any of these conditions should present themselves, a C-section may very well be the only option for a safe, healthy birth. However, when medical professionals delay ordering or performing a Caesarean, the child and mother can experience devastating injuries.

Complications Caused By Delayed C-Sections

Cesarean delays have the potential to produce catastrophic outcomes. As a result of failing to order or carry out a critical C-section, infants can endure birth injuries that require lifelong care and medical treatment. Obstetricians and birthing teams undergo special training that enables them to identify urgent medical problems before they become genuine emergencies.

Parents and families trust the doctor and support staff to use good judgment and undertake any necessary treatments to ensure the safety and health of both mother and baby before, during, and after the delivery process. When obstetricians neglect to perform check-ups and critical testing or behave in any manner that causes a necessary C-section to be delayed, it is the babies and their families who pay the price.  

The most common birth injuries caused by delayed C-sections are:

• Cerebral palsy: A debilitating injury characterized by restricted speech and mobility that will affect the child for the rest of their life. Children with this condition usually require around-the-clock care and intense medical treatments.
• Brain damage: This is most often caused by the disruption of the oxygen flow to the baby’s brain, leading to mental and physical deficits.
• Shoulder dystocia: Shoulder dystocia is the impairment of the infant’s ability to move their shoulder or arm, and depending on the severity of the damage, could be permanent.
• Brachial plexus injury: This is a serious condition that impacts a newborn’s spine, specifically the brachial plexus nerves, through compression, separation, tearing, or stretching. Damage to this nerve group can leave a newborn’s arm temporarily or permanently paralyzed and could also require surgery.
• Erb’s Palsy: This permanent movement disorder can stem from shoulder dystocia or a brachial plexus injury. It affects the fifth and sixth vertebrae of the spinal cord. An injury to a baby’s neck during the delivery process can also cause this condition. 
• Death: When a doctor fails to order a timely C-section, death is a potential and devastating result. The lives of both the mother and the baby depend on the actions taken by the doctor as soon as a problem or complication is detected.

Serious birth injuries like these are almost always accompanied by huge medical bills as well as the expense of the lifelong care the child will require. This places an unbelievable amount of stress on parents whose only fault was trusting healthcare professionals to safely deliver their baby. 

What Damages Are Available in a Delayed C-Section Case?

When you or your child has been seriously harmed during the birthing process, you can incur a mountain of medical bills along with many other losses and damages. Either of you might have to be hospitalised in the ICU, require prolonged medical care, or emergency surgery. Any labor and delivery comes with a high possibility of medical errors that could lead to developmental delays. Still, when you and your baby experience the avoidable impacts of a delayed C-section, you may be entitled to recover compensation for damages such as: 

• Emotional trauma
• Pain and suffering 
• Lifetime care
• Lost wages 
• Punitive damages

Consult a Birth Injury Attorney 

A delayed C-section can, in some instances, result in long-term or permanent disabilities for the child, making specialized equipment and continuing medical care necessary, and leaving the unwitting parents with exorbitant medical bills well into the future.  

If your child sustained an avoidable birth injury due to a delayed C-section and you are considering filing a claim, consult with a Dallas birth injury lawyer from Rasansky Law Firm. We offer free consultations and can advise you on the best way to proceed with your birth injury case.