Family hopes son’s birth injury leads to changes in the law

Parents who recently lost a son due to complications resulting from birth injuries are hoping that their tragic story can help prevent the same thing from happening to other families. Many expectant parents throughout the country are choosing home births as an alternative to hospital births, and while there are thousands of safe home births performed each year, the process can also be a recipe for disaster if proper safety protocols aren’t followed.

According to the parents, things went terribly wrong after the woman went into labor on May 18th, 2010. The parents allege that the woman began bleeding profusely, but their midwife failed to call an ambulance. They say a placental abruption left their infant with a permanent brain injury. Though the infant was never able to crawl, stand or speak, his parents say he could light up a room with his smile. Sadly, he died this spring before his third birthday.

Now the parents, who have two other children, say they hope their tragedy inspires their state to tighten the guidelines on midwifery and the home birth process. They hope the state considers requiring midwives to carry malpractice insurance, which would help compensate victims of birth injuries and other instances of medical malpractice.

Ultimately, birth injuries can happen during a scheduled home birth or during a birth in the hospital. When birth injuries do occur, they often leave a family heartbroken and full of unanswered questions. Because the hospital or midwife is often most concerned about protecting themselves, it is wise to consult a birth injury lawyer who may conduct an investigation in an effort to determine what really went wrong and whether anyone should be held accountable.

Source:  My Fox Houston, “Couple’s Midwife at home Birth turns Tragic,” Randy Wallace, May 7, 2013