Having a baby can be one of the most exciting and rewarding, yet worrisome, experiences of your life. If it is the first time you’ve been pregnant, you may be anxious, not knowing quite what to expect. Even if you already have several children, every pregnancy and birth is unique, so issues you face with one situation might not even be present in another.
The type of support you have during pregnancy and when you give birth often has a significant impact on your overall experience. For instance, your doctor helps keep you and your baby (or babies) safe by properly diagnosing and reacting to any problematic issues that arise. Conversely, your doctor may cause you or your child to suffer serious injury if he or she is negligent.
A condition that often has silent symptoms
If you run a high fever or exhibit other physical symptoms that signal a possible adverse condition in pregnancy, you may go to an emergency room or your doctor’s office for immediate assistance. However, some conditions, such as pre-eclampsia, do not always have immediately apparent symptoms. That’s why your doctor’s expertise is so critical to your and your child’s safety. The following list contains further information about this pregnancy complication:
- If you have high blood pressure, it may be a sign of pre-eclampsia.
- Your doctor should be testing your urine, blood pressure, weight and other vital signs during every prenatal visit you attend.
- If proteins spill into your urine from your blood stream, your doctor should perform additional examination to determine whether or not you have pre-eclampsia.
- If you have mildly swollen ankles or feet during pregnancy, it may simply be a typical effect of carrying a child in the womb.
- Moderate to severe edema, however, is also often a tell-tale symptom of pre-eclampsia.
- If you tell your doctor that you have a lingering, severe headache, it definitely warrants his or her immediate attention because this is a possible sign of pre-eclampsia.
If your blood pressure rises too high in pregnancy, you are at risk for brain injury. Pre-eclampsia can also cause blood clotting problems as well as liver or kidney impairment. No one wants to spend approximately nine months of pregnancy living in fear that pre-eclampsia or other adverse condition will develop. However, it is understandable that you’d want to discuss these potential problems with your health care provider.
The disastrous effects of doctor negligence
In worst cases, doctors who fail in their duties to keep pregnant patients safe may cause fatal injuries to mothers and/or their infants. Such cases may be rare; however, your doctor and every other physician caring for an expectant mother is responsible for providing care in accordance with accepted safety standards. If you suffer injury because your doctor is negligent, Ohio law allows you to seek financial recovery for your losses.