Birth Injuries and Multiple Gestational Pregnancy
Multiples, or more than one baby, most commonly refers to twins or triplets. Multiple births can absolutely lead to risks for mom and babies.
Your medical team must be 100% experienced and skilled in handling multiples before, during and immediately following the birthing process. Careful planning and preparation goes into every pregnancy, but with any high risk case the experience of your medical team is critical.
Pregnancies with multiples occurs frequently thanks to science and medical advancement in, in-vitro fertilization. Twins occur in 1 in every 80 pregnancies, while triplets occur in 1 in every 7,000 pregnancies. With this comes a classification of a high risk pregnancy, and an increased risk of a variety of known complications.
Common Multiple Gestational Risks
- Pre term labor – Anywhere from 4-6 weeks early delivery is considered normal … About 90% of triplets are preterm births, and about 60% of twins.
- Placental complications – Most commonly placenta abruption
- Umbilical prolapse – Compression of the umbilical cord before or during delivery
- Hemorrhage – The possibility of prolonged and increased bleeding during and after childbirth
- Growth Restrictions – Your babies growth is restricted because your placenta simply cannot accommodate
- Gestational Diabetes – A potentially dangerous diagnosis for mom during the pregnancy
- Preeclampsia – High blood pressure and toxemia in pregnancies
- TTTS – Twin to Twin Transfusion, a medical condition whereby which multiples may share blood
- Cerebral Palsy – Severe, lasting mental and physical limitations
- Low birth weight – Babies born less than 5 pounds, 8 oz.
Planning for a health pregnancy and delivery
A birth injury or trauma following delivery is one of the most tragic experiences any family can go through. Unfortunately, failing to properly plan for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery is commonly a factor. In multiple births, delivery can be even more complicated. The position, order of the babies and other critical factors are used to determine a birthing and delivery plan. While twins may be able to be safely delivered via natural child birth, triplets and beyond are typically delivered via C-section.
All of these and other potential scenarios are very dangerous, for both mom and babies. If you or a loved one experienced injury, loss or issues with a multiple gestation pregnancy, you must call my offices today.
As your Ohio birth injury attorney, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities. You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 877.944.4373.