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Posted on 21st July 2022
A C section is a major medical procedure, and any damage or injury caused can have a lasting effect on your body, your child, or your ability to get pregnant in the future.
Impacts of C Section failures on mothers
Improper care during or immediately after a C section can have a number of negative impacts on a mother’s health, the effects of which you may be entitled to make a C-section compensation claim. These circumstances include:
- Where an infection develops post-surgery, the negative effects of which are known to include swelling, pain, discharges and unsightly appearance.
- Some mothers can suffer an infection of the womb lining itself; this can induce fever, stomach pains and abnormal discharges from the vagina which may be accompanied by excessive, heavy bleeding.
- Excessive bleeding can occur by itself for a number of reasons and may introduce the need for a blood transfusion or additional corrective surgery.
- Issues relating to blood clotting are also a significant risk, including the likes of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and painful blood clots in the legs which can travel through the body and reach the lungs; causing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism; a blockage of blood from the heart to the lungs.
- Damage due to surgical error during the caesarean section can also occur to the bladder or to the tubes connecting it to your kidneys – this will often require corrective surgery.
These risks sit alongside other potential hazards relating to birth injuries to mothers resulting from poor care in the build-up to, during or immediately after post-birth, which you may be entitled to make a compensation claim.
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Impacts of C section failures on babies
Similarly, failures on the part of the medical staff responsible for undertaking your C section can exacerbate the risks relating to birth injuries to babies, known to include:
- Cuts to the baby’s skin as the womb is opened, with the potential for serious harm and/or substantial bleeding.
- Difficulties experienced by your baby in breathing; this is particularly relevant in cases where the baby is delivered prior to 39 weeks.
Again, these risks are largely specific to situations relating to C-section delivery and more general hazards relating to birth injuries to babies as a whole must also be taken into consideration.
Impacts of C section failures on future pregnancies
Normally C section delivery does not present problems for future deliveries, either vaginally or via c section. But where negligence occurs on the part of medical staff, this can change:
- Improper stitching of your scar following a c-section can elevate the risks of it opening up again during the course of any future pregnancy.
- Complications can occur leading to the placenta becoming attached to the womb’s interior wall, making it difficult to subsequently deliver the organ.
- In some circumstances, the after-effects of a C-section procedure can elevate the risks of future babies being stillborn.
If you are unsure as to whether you are eligible to make a claim for C-section injuries to a mother or baby, it is important to speak to a legal expert as soon as possible
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