Birth Injury Lawyer Brandon

Servicing Brandon and all of Manitoba

If you were to ask several mothers to describe their labour and delivery, you’d likely hear a number of widely diverging stories. Sometimes the labour was mercifully brief or the delivery mostly painless (particularly if an epidural is employed). Planned caesarean sections may be similarly quick and uneventful.

Sadly, there are times when labour is excruciatingly long or there are significant problems and complications during a delivery. While we can hear a mother’s harrowing tale of her experience during a traumatic birth, the newborn is not able to describe what it felt with words. Instead, we need to look for physical signals that all is not well.

Fetal tachycardia (abnormally fast heart rate) and meconium aspiration (ingesting a mixture of first fecal matter and amniotic fluid into the lungs) can both be signs of fetal distress. Physical injuries from forced extractions (spinal cord damage, brachial plexus injuries, broken bones and scarring) can also tell the story of a difficult birth.

Some birth injuries related to prolonged labour and traumatic deliveries may be unavoidable. But in other cases, a medical provider may have caused preventable harm by breaching standards of care due to negligence. This is called obstetrical malpractice, and it can change a life forever.

Common Types of Birth Injuries

In addition to fetal distress caused by unnecessarily lengthy or prolonged labour and physical injuries sustained during traumatic deliveries, birth injuries may occur:

During the course of a pregnancy. Obstetrical malpractice can lead to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of an illness or other medical condition. Maternal or in utero infection, spina bifida (vertebrae don’t properly close around the spinal column) or placental insufficiency (damage to the placenta causing oxygen or nutrient deprivation to a fetus) can all lead to complications resulting in brain or nerve damage that may cause permanent disability.
In the period immediately following birth. Medical providers must adequately monitor infants – especially if they have risk factors that increase the likelihood complications from certain conditions. For example, jaundice (excess bilirubin in the blood) is common among newborns whose livers have not fully developed. Although it may resolve on its own or with minimal intervention, in serious cases it may develop into kernicterus and cause brain damage from neurotoxicity.

When You’ve Been Hurt, We Can Help

Discovering that another person’s negligence has caused serious harm and long-term damage to you or someone you love is devastating. As you think about what happened and what lies ahead, you may feel angry, sad, confused, anxious, and fearful.

At Howie, Sacks and Henry, we understand and empathise with how overwhelming all of this can be. Our birth injury lawyers are ready to help you in Brandon as you start to make sense of your loss. Together, we can look at your options for claiming the compensation and damages you’ll need to heal and support your loved one with their rehabilitation.

Recognized as one of Canada’s top personal injury firms, you can be confident that we have the knowledge, skill, expertise and drive to be an effective advocate for you in the complex and challenging area of law.

HSH birth injury lawyers are able to arrange to visit you in your own home in the Brandon area or at a nearby consultation office. Your ability to travel should never be an obstacle to obtaining high quality legal representation. In addition to discussing your options and offering legal advice, we can assist you or your loved one by facilitating assessments, testing and rehabilitation and therapy that will support both your case and your recovery.

Our birth injury lawyers know how emotionally exhausting it can be to rebuild a life after a tragic injury. At HSH, our firm’s reputation for serving our clients with compassion, care and kindness means you are always more than just a file to us. You are a person who deserves respect and dignity during this difficult period in your life. Our team will be attentive to your needs by keeping you informed, answering your questions, and reassuring you if you have concerns.

If you’re searching for a strong legal advocate who will be focussed on your needs and sensitive to your well-being, trust the team at HSH. Our birth injury lawyers will work tirelessly to help you claim the compensation for the pain, suffering and loss you deserve. With an HSH birth injury lawyer on your side and by your side in Brandon, together we’ll walk down the road to recovery towards better days ahead.