Complications associated with forceps deliveries

When you prepare to give birth in a Louisiana hospital, chances are, you read up on the traditional birthing process as well as possible alternative procedures you may need to have, such as Cesarean sections. In some situations, however, doctors decide it might be best to deliver your baby using forceps, which are a medical device used to pull your baby out of your birth canal when pushing fails to work. At the law firm of Lee Schwalben, M.D., J.D., LLC, we understand that forceps deliveries can lead to substantial hardship, and we have helped many people who suffered injury during the birthing process because of medical negligence pursue appropriate recourse.

Though not as common as c-section deliveries, forceps deliveries, per the Mayo Clinic, involve certain risks, and they have the potential to harm or injure not only you, but your child. Your physician may recommend using this method to deliver your baby if your labor is failing to progress normally, or if you have certain health conditions that make pushing in the traditional sense particularly dangerous, among other reasons. So, what types of risks do you face when you undergo a delivery using forceps.

As a mom, you may find that you have problems using the bathroom in the aftermath of a forceps delivery, as the procedure can, in some cases, lead to short or long-term incontinence issues. This type of delivery can also leave you with lower genital tract tears, injuries to your urethra or bladder, or pain in your perineum, among other possible complications.

Your infant son or daughter, meanwhile, may suffer intracranial bleeding during this type of delivery, or he or she may suffer seizures, eye trauma or, in especially serious cases, skull fractures. He or she may, too, suffer facial injuries because of the pressure used during delivery or experience short-term weakness of his or her facial muscles following the procedure. You can find more about medical malpractice by exploring our webpage.