Negligent Maternity Care after Forceps Birth
If you are struggling with the appalling symptoms of a 3rd or 4th degree tear following a forceps birth, you may be entitled to compensation.
Risks of a forceps birth
A forceps birth puts a new mother at an increased risk of suffering a severe birth tear. By this we mean a 3rd or 4th degree tear which damages the woman's anal muscles. The anal muscles, or anal sphincter, control the passing of wind and faeces from the bowel and any damage can put a woman at risk of incontinence.
An instrumental delivery using a ventouse rather than forceps also represents an increase in risk of this appalling outcome.
Without the correct medical care, the long-term symptoms can be both emotionally distressing and physically debilitating, impacting on almost every aspect of life, including a woman's ability to work as well as her ability to travel, socialise and carry out a range of ordinary daily chores.
Post-natal medical care
As a recognised factor in the occurrence of severe maternal birth tears, a forceps or ventouse-assisted delivery should trigger meticulous medical care.
A woman who has undergone an instrumental delivery should be thoroughly assessed following the birth for any signs of perineal or anal damage. This should include a digital rectal examination to assess the condition of her anal sphincter. The anal sphincter consists of both the external and internal muscles which control bowel movement.
Any damage to the anal sphincter should be precisely and fully classified and documented, ensuring that the woman will then undergo a surgical repair, performed by a surgeon, of the entire injury. If this process is achieved promptly, accurately and competently, most women should recover and be symptom-free within twelve months.
A failure to examine, a misdiagnosis or a poor-quality repair can all leave a woman with on-going symptoms and all the associated distress and dysfunction.
Claiming compensation
If substandard or negligent medical care has left you with debilitating symptoms, causing on-going problems and financial losses, you are, by law, entitled to compensation. This should restore you to the financial position you would have experienced had the negligence not occurred.
If you are now unable to work, or your ability to earn an income has been severely reduced by the impact of your injury, you should receive recompense for those losses.
Speak to a specialist solicitor
If you believe you might have a claim, contact Glynns to speak to a specialist medical negligence solicitor.
We are a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with significant expertise in maternal birth injury claims. One of our team will be very happy to advise you.
Contact us today to talk to a specialist solicitor about the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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