Santa Ana Umbilical Cord Injury Lawyer

For most babies, the umbilical cord does its job of providing oxygen and nourishment and then simply needs to be clamped and cut after birth, leaving only a small knot and a navel. However, umbilical cord complications in utero can cause birth injuries that endanger a child’s future or even their life.

If OB/GYN doctors or labor nurses fail to identify complications or do not make the right calls to manage them, the infant could suffer long-term health problems, including brain damage. A conversation with a Santa Ana umbilical cord injury lawyer could help parents in this situation determine how to move forward for their family.

How Can Umbilical Cords Hurt Newborns?

Every baby in utero is dependent on its umbilical cord for nourishment. In the womb, the cord carries oxygen and nutrition from the placenta to the fetus and removes waste.

When complications occur, the cord may pose various dangers. Difficulties with the cord threaten the infant’s blood and oxygen supply. In some cases, knots develop in the cord within the womb, or the cord loops around the infant’s neck before delivery. The cord may emerge from the womb before the infant does, which is known as umbilical cord prolapse.

Lack of oxygen, or hypoxia, is the worst threat, as it can cause brain damage, cerebral palsy, or death. The umbilical cord and placenta can also form in ways that make it impossible to go through vaginal birth without risking major blood loss. A Santa Ana attorney could help determine whether you may seek compensation for your child’s umbilical cord injury.

What Professionals Can Do To Prevent and Treat Complications

Careful examination and analysis can help doctors understand when the umbilical cord is creating problems or is likely to do so. Some patients are predisposed to have umbilical cord complications, such as when:

• The mother has diabetes
• There are twins or multiple fetuses
• The cord is too long, risking loops around the neck
• The mother has gone into preterm labor (before 37 weeks)

It is the professionals’ job to keep close track of what could go wrong and work to prevent it, or else to address the complication as quickly as possible. For example, a professional should be able to detect when the umbilical cord’s position will not permit a safe vaginal birth, requiring a C-section.

Unfortunately, doctors and nurses can fail at these crucial and delicate moments, whether due to carelessness, overwork, or poor institutional policies. Medical errors can worsen umbilical cord complications, with immense costs to infants and their families. A Santa Ana attorney could review your umbilical cord injury case to identify a healthcare professional’s error.

How a Birth Injury Attorney Could Help

In a case involving umbilical cord complications, our Santa Ana attorneys work to investigate the situation as carefully as possible. We then use this information to assemble the claim for what the family has lost through this mistake: the costs of ongoing treatment, special schooling, and the pain and emotional distress that the child feels.

We will work to obtain a settlement if possible, which is often the best.  An option to get the child what they need, but if the providers will not offer a reasonable settlement, our attorneys could bring the family’s case to court.

Contact a Santa Ana Attorney About an Umbilical Cord Injury Case

At Ikuta Hemesath Leonard, LLP, birth injuries are a major part of our practice. Our Santa Ana umbilical cord injury lawyer knows that a traumatic birth experience is a terrible way to begin, but it is not the last word for anyone.

Your child deserves justice, and so do you. Contact us as soon as you can, as you may need to meet certain deadlines in your child’s case.