What to do...

What is the name of your state? Virginia

When I was pregnant, I went to a hospital that had a primary care unit. The reason I chose this hospital was because they had a NICU and I wanted to make sure if anything bad happened, I would be near a NICU.

My pregnancy went okay until about the 6th month, when my blood pressure started to rise. It kept getting higher and higher, and eventually, in my 8th month, they put me on bedrest.

Four days before I was due, one of the doctors wanted to induce me, but the head doctor didn't feel I was dialated enough ,and would end up in an emergency cs, so I was sent home. Three days later, I came back in and was given an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. They gave me a 24 hour urine spill container, bc I was spilling proteins, and told me to come back in 3 days.

Three days later, I came back in, my bp was still high, and the doctor that wanted to induce me the week before said "tell the head doc you have a headache that won't go away, i'm scared for you"

The induced me on that Thursday at 8:15. I was in labor from Thursday 8:15, all the way until I started to push at 10:52pm on Friday. I pushed until my daughter was born at 1:57am Sat. morning.

When she came out, she wasn't breathing and had huge cuts and gashes all over her head. She had been stuck in my pelvis, for almost three hours. The head doctor came in after about an hour of pushing and said if I didn't have her in the next half hour, they were going to give me a c-section. He didn't come back until over an hour and a half later. At the time, I didn't realize he had been gone that long until he came back, and 20 minutes later, I had my daughter.

My daughter spent 10 days in the NICU, and now only has 6% functioning brain, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The neonatoal doctor came in the day she was born (about 12 hours later) and said that my daughter wouldn't make it, and by the way, this didn't happen at birth. They offered me no other explaination. I feel like it DID happen at birth, but even if my daughter had an inutero stroke, could they still be held liable? I took non stress tests two times a week once they put me on bedrest, and I stayed IN THE BED, yet my bp kept getting higher, and they let me go past my due date.

I know this is long, but i am trying to be unemotional about this while presenting facts. ALSO, I was told after I had my daughter, that my hips were very small, which is why they had a hard time getting her out.

Also, my daughter DID make it, she is 19 months old now, but she is in constant seizures, on many medications, and is diagnosed with level 5 spastic quad cp, epilepsy and mental retardation. ALSO, as a side note. The head doctor on charge that night had been given a promotion to that position only the year before, it was given for a three year contract, and he left two months after my daughter was born for "personal reasons" I think honestly it had to do with my daughter, but I don't know for sure. He was crying in the hall the next day when he talked to me and my husband about her.

[ellencee]

I hate to say that's not enough information, because it is really enough to give a quick answer, but it may make it seem like I am brushing off your concerns.

Your records will have information that is vital to making any determination on this event.

I will say that I am surprised by the reluctance to take the baby even a month early since you obviously were pre-eclamptic, and seriously so.

Once the baby became stuck in the birth canal, against the pelvic bones per your description, the chances of injury to the baby were present. A C-section at that time may not have prevented injury to the baby and may not have saved the baby's life.

Something caused the brain tissue to be deprived of oxygen. This could have been from several causes, an inutero stroke, strangulation from the cord, or some other cause.

You really have nothing to lose by taking advantage of a free consultation with a medmal attorney in your area. I suggest looking for one with experience in OB/GYN malpractice cases.

The doctor may have left for personal reasons that have nothing to do with you. I'm sure he wasn't the only professional at the hospital that cried over the condition of your infant. Healthcare professionals have much personal, emotional interests invested in those for whom they provide care.

Best wishes for you and your family,
EC

Your story is unfortunately one that is too common.
Induced labor is a danger to mother and fetus. In the face of rising blood pressures, high enough to warrant bed rest, a Caesarean section should have been undertaken, and delivery could have been accomplished with little danger four days prior to the expected date of delivery.
The third stage of labor took far too long. It was during this time that your baby was injured most probably by striking her head against a closed cervix for hours. Brain damage resulting from the injuries is going to present your daughter and you with lifelong problems.
You should see a malpractice lawyer NOW. Do not delay. One of the things that may happen if the hospital and doctors are given enough time (a few hours) is that entries in the records will be lost, changed or added to. Your lawyer will want to move quickly to get the records.
If you have access to records of cases like these you will find high jury awards and these awards reflect not only the injury and its costs, but the jury's willingness to punish those medical providers involved.