Wind Incontinence Compensation After Vaginal Childbirth
Long term bowel problems following vaginal childbirth may suggest that you have an undiagnosed anal tear. Speak to a solicitor about the possibility of compensation.
Undiagnosed severe birth tears
If you have suffered a severe tear during vaginal childbirth, it should have been diagnosed and surgically repaired shortly after the birth of your baby. However, sometimes these debilitating injuries are missed and you may be left with permanent, and possibly worsening, bowel incontinence.
So what is a severe tear? Most women suffer a tear of some type during childbirth but this is usually small and easily resolved. But an unlucky few, around 5%, suffer a tear which goes from the vagina, across the perineum and into the muscles around the anus which control the passing of wind and faeces. The injury may be restricted to the external anal sphincter but occasionally, it extends into the internal muscle and even the lining of the anal canal.
These appalling injuries put the new mother at risk of an array of distressing and disabling symptoms including the following:
- Incontinence of wind
- Incontinence of faeces
- Perineal infections
- The development of a rectovaginal fistula and leakage from the vagina
- The need for a stoma
Claiming compensation for the consequences of negligence
Symptoms such as these can have wide ranging effects on a woman's quality of life, affecting her ability to work, undermining her self-confidence and even damaging her relationship with her baby and her partner. The financial implications can be significant.
If such a distressing outcome is found to have been the result of negligent maternity are, it may be possible to claim compensation for financial losses such as a loss of income. Some women find it difficult to work with these symptoms and some find that the type of work they are able to access is restricted because of their symptoms.
The quality of maternity care may be regarded as having been negligent if the new mother does not undergo a thorough examination following the birth of her baby; if any anal sphincter damage is not diagnosed or if damage to the anal sphincter is not correctly and effectively repaired.
Speak to a legal specialist
Glynns Solicitors is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with extensive experience of high-value birth tear claims.
Contact us today to talk to a solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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