Abnormal Fetal Position and Birth Injuries

Experienced Ohio birth injury lawyer explains this serious fetal risk factor

During a woman’s pregnancy and a baby’s delivery, the fetus needs to be in the correct position inside the mother. Otherwise, serious birth injuries can occur. That’s why it’s critical that obstetricians and other medical professionals carefully monitor a baby’s position inside the mother.

Unfortunately, some healthcare professionals do not take this fetal risk factor seriously. As a result, serious permanent injuries occur to infants during pregnancy or delivery due to medical negligence. When this happens, it’s critical that parents take strong legal action to hold doctors and other medical professionals accountable for their actions.

Cleveland birth injury attorney John A. Lancione has more than three decades of experience handling such complex legal cases in Ohio and across the country. One of the nation’s leading birth injury lawyers, attorney Lancione only handles claims involving medical negligence. As a result, he has in-depth understanding of the regulations and legal system as it applies to birth injury claims. You can count on The Lancione Law Firm when it matters most.

What is an abnormal fetal position or presentation?

Doctors need to carefully monitor a fetus’ position throughout the pregnancy. The correct position for an unborn child during the pregnancy is facing backward headfirst. Any variation from this standard position is considered abnormal and could result in a serious injury. Abnormal fetal positions include:

The baby facing headfirst and forward, which is commonly referred to simply as an “abnormal position.”
Bottom first fetal positioning (breech presentation)
Headfirst and facing upwards (occiput posterior presentation, also sometimes referred to as sunny side up)
Brow first fetal positioning, with the neck arched backward (brow presentation)
Face first fetal positioning, with the neck arched backward (face presentation)
Feet first fetal positioning (footing breech)
Shoulder first fetal position with the fetus horizontal across the birth canal (transverse lie)

If doctors don’t take the appropriate steps to deal with an abnormal presentation, medical complications can occur which could put the infant’s life or health at risk. This is why it’s critical that doctors immediately identify if something’s wrong and correct the fetus’ position or provide other emergency medical care, potentially including a C-section.

What treatments are available for abnormal fetal positioning?

Before a baby is born, doctors should know exactly how an infant is positioned inside the mother during her pregnancy. Often, this involves performing various standard medical tests during a woman’s pregnancy, including regular ultrasound images. Experienced doctors can also determine the position of the fetus simply by feeling the woman’s abdomen and identifying where the fetus’ heartbeat is strongest.

In certain circumstances, doctors who discover a fetus in an abnormal position may need to perform a medical procedure to correct the baby’s position. One of the most common procedures is an external cephalic version (ECV). An ECV is normally performed when a baby is in the breech position and the doctor attempts to move the baby into a head-down position.

Doctors normally perform an ECV around 37 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy. If the ECV procedure is not successful, a cesarean section (C-section) may need to be performed in order to safely deliver the baby and prevent medical complications from occurring.

Learn more about your legal rights. Contact our Ohio law firm

Medical professionals need to carefully monitor the position of the fetus throughout the pregnancy and the delivery. When they fail to do so, medical negligence is often to blame. In such situations, parents are often eligible to receive financial compensation for all their medical bills and injury-related expenses.

But actually getting the money you rightfully deserve can be much more challenging than you might realize. That’s because the at-fault doctor or medical professional will often hire a lawyer to defend their actions and deny your claim.

We know how to tackle such tough legal cases. We know what evidence to look for and how to carefully analyze medical records. We also frequently consult with medical experts for a more in-depth analysis of exactly what went wrong.

Many medical professionals, insurance companies and lawyers representing them agree to negotiate a settlement offer in good faith once they see we’re serious about your case. If not, we will not hesitate to file a birth injury lawsuit or take other legal action on your behalf. And if you ever have a question about the status of your case, you can call attorney Lancione directly on his personal cellphone anytime.

Get the law firm that puts your best interests first. Contact us and schedule a free consultation with Ohio birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione. You can reach The Lancione Law Firm online or call (440) 331-6100 or (877) 515-4369 to schedule an appointment.