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Becoming a parent is a blessing, and no feeling can compete knowing your child is safe in your arms. Like any loving mother, you want your child’s birth to be a smooth process. While most deliveries happen without any trouble, seven out of every 1,000 babies born in the United States still suffer from birth injuries. These happen for many reasons, including a reckless C-section, blood pressure fluctuations during labor, or negligent staff.
Consequently, the baby may have bruises, bleed from their scalp, or suffer paralysis. Your apprehensions about giving birth are understandable. However, you are not entirely helpless. By being vigilant throughout your pregnancy and choosing to work with qualified professionals, you will be secure. There are also some steps you can take to help you reduce the risk of a birth injury. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Turn to the legal system for help
First off, you should know the law is here to help if anything goes wrong during childbirth. So, if you feel that your child’s injury is too complicated or you’re too late, think again. Even rare and aggressive diseases have legal options for victims to get their fair due, let alone birth injuries. So, you don’t have to deal with your tragedy alone. If you notice your baby has unusual symptoms like bruises, a limp arm, or weak muscles, get help from the law.
An attorney will provide you with all the expertise and knowledge you will need to understand your situation. This will enable you to hold the medical practitioners accountable for their oversight. You will get various resources to build your case, such as a doctor to confirm the injuries and a clear list of the documents you will need to pursue a lawsuit. Once the source of injury is ascertained, you will be able to demand justice. A successful trial will end by penalizing the medical practitioners in charge and providing you with fair monetary compensation, which you can use for your child’s treatment.
2. Work with a good obstetrician
Prevention is better than cure, and it helps to have good people in your corner as you embark on this life-affirming journey to motherhood. A certified professional will be a cardinal part of your nine-month journey. Look for a professional who comes highly recommended by family and friends with substantial experience under their belt.
You should also ensure your choice of obstetrician accepts insurance so you don’t end up paying a hefty amount. Don’t forget about your comfort, so work with a medical professional who will show you kindness, is approachable, and answers your questions. Pregnancy can be stressful, and only a doctor’s assurance will keep you at peace.
A healthcare professional should also never shame you for not knowing enough about giving birth or common complications. Instead, they should educate you and even provide you with resources you can visit to learn more about fetal health. These will ensure that you know what to do when you go into labor.
3. Maintain a steady diet
A developing fetus requires that you have a well-balanced diet. This will keep your baby healthy and subsidize the risk of a preterm or miscarriage. You may experience an onslaught of morning sickness during your first trimester, so choose light snacks over hearty meals. Crackers, steamed vegetables, and fruits are generally safe to prevent nausea. Never decide to skip dinners no matter how you feel since you need to gain about 20-35 pounds to sustain a healthy pregnancy.
Besides increasing food intake, you should limit caffeine and abstain from nicotine and alcohol. These can speed up your heart rate and impact a developing fetus’s growth.
Supplements are also an essential part of your diet to keep your baby healthy. Add folic acid to your nutrition plan to reduce cleft palates and heart defects in your baby. You should also use iron supplements to prevent anemia from affecting you or the growing fetus. However, before you start using any medicine, make sure you are not allergic to any ingredient found in them and avoid over-the-counter pills.
4. Get checked for infections
During pregnancy, you may contract different infections, leading to complicated labor and birth defects in your child. These infections occur because of poor hygiene, weak immunity, and close contact with infected people. Therefore, part of your routine checkups should include getting a blood test and learning about your health.
For example, you may have CMV (Cytomegalovirus), a type of herpes virus that can cause hearing loss, visual impairment, or blindness in your baby. While CMV has no cure, there are preventive measures you can take to stop the virus from reproducing and harming your health further.
Another example includes coming down with chickenpox. This virus can cause your child’s skin to get scarred and impact their brain development. Therefore, early detection will allow the doctor to administer antiviral medication, saving you and your baby’s life.
5. Update your knowledge on birth injuries
Learning about birth injuries in detail prepares you for what can happen in the delivery room. Preparation is key to mitigating risk and ensuring you and your baby have the best chances of being healthy and well.
Birth injuries can include Cerebral Palsy, which impacts 3 out of every thousand American babies. Signs of cerebral palsy include lack of motor development, spasming muscles, and weak muscle tone. A common cause of this disease is when the doctor doesn’t monitor the mother’s condition during labor, causing oxygen shortage.
Less than 5% of American babies can also get a clavicular fracture if the doctor pulls the baby from their shoulders with an intense force causing the injury. So, when you have adequate information, you can ensure a certified professional assists you during birth and documents the process as legal evidence. No matter how the birth goes, you will prove what happened.
Conclusion
Birth injuries are painful for you and your child, so avoiding them is pivotal. As a parent, you should ensure you are aware of birth injury lawsuits and turn to them for help if the circumstance arises. Have a reputable professional take care of you during pregnancy, eat a well-balanced diet, and never skip out on vitamins.
You will also need to check yourself for infections and get the necessary medicines to prevent the disease from impacting your child. Make sure you also polish your knowledge on birth injuries, never to be caught off guard.
