Free Consultation
Tampa Delayed/Negligent C-Section Lawyers
Holding obstetricians accountable for birth injuries in Florida
Some C-sections (Cesarean sections) are planned. Other C-sections are used when emergencies arise during a vaginal delivery. A timely C-section can be lifesaving for both the mother and the fetus. Delayed C-sections and negligent C-sections can cause serious birth injuries and deaths. At MattLaw, our birth injury lawyers hold delivery room healthcare professionals and hospitals accountable when they fail to provide competent medical care. Our Tampa C-section negligence and delay lawyers demand full compensation for all of the mothers, newborns, and family’s financial damages and personal damages.
Free Consultation
How we can help you
- When are C-sections used in birth deliveries in Tampa?
- What are the risks of a C-section in Tampa?
- What delivery room procedures may qualify as C-section negligence or delay?
- What birth injuries can negligent or delayed C-sections cause in Tampa?
- Do you have a Tampa, Florida delayed/negligent C-section lawyer near me?
When are C-sections used in birth deliveries in Tampa?
In Florida, 35.9 percent of all deliveries are C-section deliveries.
According to Merck Manuals, physicians use a C-section when they think that type of delivery is safer than a vaginal delivery – for both the woman and the fetus. C-sections are generally used:
- When the labor is difficult or proceeding slowly.
- The fetus is in an abnormal position, such as a breech position (buttocks or feet come before the head).
- The fetus is in fetal distress, such as when the fetus’s heart rate is too high or too low – or the fetus isn’t getting enough oxygen, which can cause cerebral palsy and other severe birth injuries.
- There’s excessive vaginal bleeding - indicating that “the placenta may be separating from the uterus too soon (placental abruption).”
- The placenta covers the cervix (placenta previa).
- The mother has had a prior cesarean delivery – which may depend on how the prior incision was made.
The Mayo Clinic states that C-sections may also be used if the mother is carrying more than one fetus or there’s a blockage such as “a large fibroid blocking the birth canal, a pelvic fracture, or a baby who has a condition that can cause the head to be unusually large (severe hydrocephalus) might be reasons for a C-section.” The Mayo Clinic states that some mothers request C-sections in advance if they want to avoid labor, the possible complications of vaginal birth, to plan the time of delivery, or if this is their first baby.
A C-section may be planned in advance if the mother has a health issue such as heart disease, high blood pressure, an infection, or for other reasons.
Cesarean deliveries usually involve a “lower incision” or an “upper incision.”
The delivery team normally includes an obstetrician, nurses, an anesthesiologist, and sometimes a pediatrician.
Generally, mothers who have a Cesarean delivery have more pain, need to stay in the hospital longer, and have a longer recovery time than vaginal birth.
What are the risks of a C-section in Tampa?
At MattLaw, we review with our own network of obstetricians and birth delivery healthcare providers whether the healthcare provider properly assessed the risks of a Cesarean. These risks, according to the Mayo Clinic, include:
- Risks to the baby:
- Breathing difficulties. Newborns who are delivered by C-section “are more likely to develop a breathing issue that causes them to breathe too fast for a few days after birth (transient tachypnea).”
- Surgical injury.“Accidental nicks to the baby's skin can occur during surgery.
- Risks to mothers:
- Infection. “After a C-section, there might be a risk of developing an infection of the lining of the uterus (endometritis), in the urinary tract, or at the site of the incision.”
- Blood loss.A Cesarean may cause “heavy bleeding during and after delivery.”
- Anesthesia reactions.Different types of reactions to any type of anesthesia are possible.
- Blood clots.A Cesarean may “increase the risk of developing a blood clot inside a deep vein, especially in the legs or pelvis (deep vein thrombosis). If a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow (pulmonary embolism), the damage can be life-threatening.”
- Surgical injury.“Although rare, surgical injuries to the bladder or bowel can occur during a C-section.”
Cesareans also increase the risk that subsequent pregnancies and other surgeries may be more dangerous. “The more C-sections, the higher the risk of placenta previa and a condition in which the placenta becomes attached to the wall of the uterus (placenta accreta). Additional C-sections also increase the risk of a uterine rupture “for women who attempt a vaginal delivery in a later pregnancy.”
What delivery room procedures may qualify as C-section negligence or delay?
Our Tampa C-section negligence and delay lawyers review every step, instrument, and communication during the delivery process. The following factors can support a medical malpractice claim:
The delivery doctor failed to:
- Review the possible anesthesia complications.
- Order certain diagnostic tests during the pregnancy
- Assess the risks of a vaginal delivery prior to the mother’s labor
- Assess the risks of a vaginal delivery during the delivery
- Understand and notice the risks of a vaginal delivery
- Monitor the health of the mother and fetus during the delivery
- Notice when there is fetal distress
- Understand how to quickly and competently switch from a vaginal delivery to a Cesarean delivery
- Understand when a blood transfusion may be necessary
The hospital may also be liable due to understaffing, failing to have the proper equipment in place, failing to have a surgical room where a C-section can be conducted, and many other reasons.
Generally, if a competent Tampa obstetrician would have ordered a Cesarean and conducted the C-section properly – and your physician did not – then your doctor may have committed medical malpractice.
What birth injuries can negligent or delayed C-sections cause in Tampa?
Delays in ordering or performing a C-section can cause:
- The death of the baby or mother
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- Shoulder dystocia
- Brain damage
- A uterine rupture
- Excessive bleeding
- Infections
- Loss of oxygen
- Brachial plexus injuries
- Cognitive disabilities
- Fractures
- Stroke in the mother
- Lacerated bowels and organs
Do you have a Tampa, Florida delayed/negligent C-section lawyer near me?
At MattLaw, our birth injury lawyers meet mothers, fathers, and newborns at our Tampa, Florida office located at 304 S Plant Ave., Tampa, FL 33606. We also have an office in St. Petersburg. If your child or the mother is too ill to come to our office, we can make arrangements to see you at your home or a healthcare facility. We also speak with clients by phone and through online consultations.
We’ve been fighting for personal injury victims for 35 years. We’re prepared to fight for all the compensation that the mother and newborn deserve, including all the medical bills and the pain and suffering of the mother and child.
Contact our experienced Tampa birth injury lawyers now
Every parent wants to leave the hospital with a healthy baby in their arms, and every child deserves to live the best life possible. Mothers deserve to focus on their child’s upbringing instead of their own pain. At MattLaw, we have the experience and medical relationships to hold negligence medical providers accountable for birth injuries. Our Tampa C-section negligence and delay attorneys will guide you through each step of the claims process. Call us or complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We handle birth injury cases on a contingency fee basis.