Prenatal Medical Malpractice: Legal Options for Expectant Parents
Prenatal care plays an important role in protecting the health of the mother and baby. Identifying medical concerns during pregnancy that could harm the mother and baby is crucial. When a doctor fails to meet a reasonable standard of care, their negligence can lead to serious injury to the mother or baby.
At Moody Law, our Winter Haven medical malpractice attorneys can help expectant parents who have experienced medical malpractice during prenatal care seek compensation for their damages. To discuss what legal options might be available to you for medical malpractice in Lakeland, FL, or Winter Haven, FL, we invite you to schedule a consultation with Moody Law.
When Are Prenatal Care Mistakes Medical Malpractice?
In order to be considered medical malpractice, a mistake made during prenatal care must be a result of a doctor or medical professional failing to meet the standard of care and the patient must have suffered harm or injury as a result.
Some examples of mistakes during prenatal care that may be considered medical malpractice include:
- Failing to diagnose preeclampsia
- Fetal heart rates incorrectly measured or not monitored
- Failure to diagnose or treat infections in the mother
- Failure to perform standard tests
- Failure to diagnose or treat gestational diabetes
- Administering the wrong medication or wrong dosage
Consequences of Medical Mistakes in Prenatal Care
Medical mistakes during prenatal care can have life shattering consequences for expectant parents and their baby. Mistakes during prenatal care are serious as they can cause injury or even death to the mother, baby, or both. Negligent mistakes can cause long-term health issues for some babies and other complications, such as:
- Pregnancy loss: Pregnancy loss is a devastating consequence of medical malpractice that can happen during prenatal care due to failure to diagnose and treat certain conditions, like an infection or hypertension in the mother.
- Birth injuries: Birth injuries caused by medical malpractice can leave babies with permanent damage and lifelong health problems. For example, if a baby gets stuck in the birth canal, they may suffer from nerve damage, traumatic brain injury, brain asphyxia, and cerebral palsy.
- Death of mother: Failure to diagnose health problems, like hypertension and preeclampsia, in the mother during prenatal care and delivery can potentially lead to death.
Legal Options for Medical Malpractice During Prenatal Care
When mistakes during prenatal care were avoidable and caused significant harm or injury to the mother or baby, it may be possible to recover compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Damages that may be recovered in a medical malpractice lawsuit include:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses for lifelong injuries
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
Contact the Medical Malpractice Attorneys of Moody Law
If you believe you or your child were harmed by the negligence of a doctor or other medical professional, you may have grounds for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. To discuss your claim and what legal options may be available to you, schedule a consultation with the Lakeland medical malpractice attorneys of Moody Law.