Have you or a loved one recently experienced a birth trauma incident? Childbirth can be emotional and tiresome, but when medical professionals fail to deliver the care we entrust them to do, it can result in several other emotional and physical issues.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to try to hold the at-fault parties accountable for their actions. There are excellent Boca Raton injury lawyers to help you protect your legal rights and seek the justice you deserve against medical malpractice.
If you or someone you know has suffered from birth trauma, continue reading to discover what legal options you have.
What Is Birth Trauma?
Birth trauma can be defined as any emotional or psychological distress a mother experiences before, during, or after childbirth. It is mainly brought out by unmet expectations that occur during the birthing process or from medical negligence.
Labor and delivery are already very emotional and nerve-wracking experiences for expecting mothers. Sometimes birth trauma can develop after delivery if a mother is still in shock or experiencing anxiety.
Here are some factors that can contribute to birth trauma:
- Delivery complications
- Needing emergency actions such as C-sections or use of forceps
- Sustaining birth injury (mother or baby)
- Medical negligence (not receiving proper care)
- A history of anxiety
Birth trauma cannot always be prevented, but there are some things expecting mothers can do to reduce the chance of experiencing it.
Here’s how mothers can lower their chances of birth trauma:
- Prepare for birth through prenatal classes
- Seek medical and family/friend support
- Try to have realistic expectations for childbirth. It doesn’t always go as planned.
Symptoms Of Birth Trauma
It is important that you know the symptoms of birth trauma so you can easily spot it in yourself or a loved one. There are many signs that could indicate birth trauma since it is handled differently in every individual.
Here are some tell-tale signs someone is experiencing birth trauma and should seek help immediately:
- Intrusive thoughts when reliving vivid flashbacks
- Trouble sleeping or nightmares
- Feeling on edge or feeling irritable
- Anxiety
- Avoiding thinking of trauma
- Feeling numb or cut off from feelings
- Feeling alone or blaming yourself
These are just to name a few of the symptoms. Birth trauma encompasses a plethora of feelings a woman can experience when dealing with the aftermath of a troubled labor.
Treatment For Birth Trauma
It can be difficult for a woman to seek treatment as a result of birth trauma if they are experiencing feelings of difficulty trusting others, including medical professionals.
There are several different treatment options available for seeking help to overcome the PTSD of childbirth. Your medical professional may prescribe medications or push for talking therapy to help. There is a specific trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy that is used to help patients dealing with PTSD.
If you know someone who is dealing with birth trauma PTSD, it is good for them to know the importance of recognizing their triggers and to have support they can rely on. Overcoming the trauma of birth can take time to overcome.
Medical Negligence as A Cause Of Birth Trauma
Birth trauma can be a result of medical negligence during birth. If a birth injury to the mother or child was sustained or a mother did not receive proper care, these can result from birth trauma. Additionally, emergency actions during labor such as C-sections or the use of forceps to help deliver the baby can put the mother in a state of panic and feel as if birth is not going according to plan.
The definition of medical negligence is when medical professionals fail to deliver standard care at a given time. When a trusted doctor, nurse, or other trusted professional fails to provide care to a mother or baby, a birth injury can occur and cause trauma to the patients.
Understanding Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is a term in the legal field that often goes hand in hand with medical negligence. If a patient decides to seek out filing a lawsuit against a medical professional for birth trauma, they will often talk to their attorney about medical malpractice claims. Filing a medical malpractice claim can take time and requires certain basics to establish your case since you’re trying to prove the wrongdoing of a hospital or doctor’s office.
Medical malpractice claims have to prove there was a doctor-patient relationship that existed and that your doctor agreed to take you on as a patient. After that, it’s time to prove that your doctor was negligent. To do this, you will have to prove that your doctor caused you harm in a way that another doctor would not have in the similar circumstances.
You will also have to prove that the negligent behavior led to injury or that you suffered harm from their incompetence. Because of this, you should speak with your attorney and record any symptoms or injuries that you sustained under their care.
Legal Options You Can Take
It is your right to file a claim against a medical professional during a case where one has suffered from birth trauma as a result of medical malpractice. The first step in filing your claim is finding the best Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyer to fight for you.
Hiring an experienced attorney will help you through the legal process of your case. The best thing about finding an attorney is that they do the work on your behalf and will be the person speaking to your insurer and in court if you do not reach an adequate settlement.
It’s important to note that hospitals and doctor’s offices have their own high-quality attorneys on their side to protect them from any medical malpractice or personal injury claims. They will be hard to fight against, so you should spend some time thoroughly looking for a Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyer that has in-depth knowledge of Florida’s statutes of limitations and experience in fighting cases against medical organizations.
Talk To an Experienced Attorney Today
Are you ready to take legal action? Contact the attorneys at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers today.
We are a firm that has 40 years of experience fighting against birth trauma and knows what to expect in these cases. Additionally, our attorneys have in-depth knowledge of how hospitals and doctor offices fight in these cases, which means we will know what to expect throughout this process.
If you’re ready to seek the extra compensation you may deserve with a high-quality injury lawyer in Boca Raton, Florida, call our hotline at (561) 800-8000. You can also go online and fill out our free case evaluation form.
Someone from our firm will reach out to you once we have your contact information to set up an appointment for a free consultation where you can meet our attorney and discuss your case in greater detail. Once you hear our services and are ready to begin, we will start building your case.
The state of Florida has a statute of limitations that requires individuals to report the birth injury within two hours of the day the injury was found. Don’t allow any more time to pass you by.
Call Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers today.