Doctors failed to warn mother about pregnancy risk

BBC News have reported that a mother was not informed of the risk to her baby being born with a life-threatening condition as a result of her high-risk medical history. Previously, the mother had lost a child, aged 4 months due to a rare genetic condition, therefore, it was argued by her lawyers that the woman’s medical history should have prompted input from a specialised obstetric team during her pregnancy.

Subsequently, it was observed at the 36-week scan that the baby was not increasing in weight.

The baby was born at 38 weeks via a caesarean section due to undisclosed complications. Unfortunately, the baby was born with a condition that is related to incomplete brain development and a terminal form of spinal muscular atrophy. Sadly, the baby passed away 2 months later.

In addition, the mother suffered a post-birth haemorrhage requiring surgery and subsequently developed a wound infection.

The mother was not given the option to terminate the pregnancy at an early stage. It was reported that the trust should have referred the mother to a specialised counsellor to explain the risks of her pregnancy at 12 weeks. Unfortunately, the hospital failed to pick up the genetic condition in earlier scans. 

We have recently represented a client in her claim for medical negligence where a NHS Trust delivered substandard antenatal care which resulted in her baby suffering hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy upon birth and cerebral palsy. Sadly, the baby died a few months after birth.

In this case there were a catalogue of failures throughout the pregnancy and further failures during the labour. It was established that earlier delivery would have resulted in significant harm being avoided.

During pregnancy medical professionals must ensure they deliver a reasonable standard of care which encompasses the mother’s and baby’s health. Failures can result in traumatic outcomes such as the above.

Common claims that we deal with include:

1. Cerebral palsy
2. Misdiagnosis of pre-existing conditions
3. Surgical errors
4. Midwifery errors
5. Medication errors
6. Physical injuries to the mother and/or the baby

If you are unsure whether you have suffered negligent care, we recommend seeking legal advice. Call and speak to one of our experienced medical negligence solicitors for a no obligation discussion on 0121 355 0011.