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Medication Mistakes during Childbirth

Contact a Baltimore Birth Injury Lawyer to Fight for You

Unfortunately, medication mistakes made during the childbirth process can compromise the safety and health of the mother, as well as the child. When doctors or other medical professionals act negligently, compromising the child or the mother’s health in the process, affected individuals may be entitled to file a medical malpractice lawsuit with the help of a medical malpractice attorney.

Contact LawMD online or by phone at (888) 695-2963 for a free consultation with an experienced Baltimore birth injury lawyer.

There are many different medications given to women during the pregnancy, labor, and delivery process. When the right medicines are given at the appropriate dosages, they can be extremely beneficial. However, if inappropriate dosing procedures are followed or the wrong types of medicines are given, the mother and child may suffer critical injuries.

Babies can be left with birth injuries, such as developmental disabilities, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral palsy, and seizure disorders. Some of the most common labor and delivery medication errors are outlined below.

Pitocin Misuse

Pitocin is a synthetic form of oxytocin used to speed up or induce labor. When too much Pitocin is administered, however, it can cause contractions that happen less than two to three minutes apart, making it difficult for the placenta to replenish its oxygen supply. This can lead to birth injuries like birth asphyxia, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures, cerebral palsy, and more.

Hyper-stimulation using Pitocin is extremely risky because there are currently no accurate methods to measure the impact that it has on the uterine.

Additional fetal complications associated with Pitocin use include:

  • Hypertension
  • Neonatal seizures
  • Fetal distress
  • Neonatal jaundice
  • Fetal head trauma

Maternal injuries may also result in the form of:

  • Hypotension
  • Hypertension
  • Pelvic hematoma
  • Postpartum hemorrhage
  • Prolonged and strong uterine contractions

Pitocin should not be used in a variety of situations including:

  • When there is surgical or uterine scarring
  • With evidence of substantial cephalopelvic disproportion
  • Fetal distress where delivery is not immediate
  • Umbilical cord prolapse

Cytotec Misuse

Cytotec, also referred to by its generic name, Misoprostol, is a drug frequently administered to pregnant women in order to induce labor. Its usage is currently controversial because it is not approved by the FDA as a labor induction drug, and devastating side effects may result.

Cytotec may be harmful to the child as well as the mother. Some of the complications associated with the use of this drug include:

  • Amniotic fluid embolism
  • Blood loss or increased hemorrhage risk
  • Umbilical cord compression
  • Birth asphyxia
  • Bradycardia
  • Uterine rupture
  • Increased risk of needing an emergency C-section

Unfortunately, labor and delivery medication errors are all too common and can severely impact the mother and child’s health and well-being. If you have recently been injured in a situation involving a medication error during labor and delivery, consult with a Baltimore birth injury attorney as soon as possible to discuss your options.

Call LawMD at (888) 695-2963 for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation and case review.

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