C-Section Injury Attorney in Queens, NY

Understanding Cesarean Delivery Complications and Your Rights

In the United States 1 in 4 women experience a cesarean delivery, or C-section. During a C-section, doctors deliver your baby through an incision in your uterus and abdominal wall. In some situations, C-sections are medically necessary, but if your surgery is poorly planned or executed, both you and your child can sustain serious injuries.

If you are harmed during cesarean delivery, the Law Offices of David A. Kates can help. Attorney Kates has more than 20 years of professional legal experience and has handled c-section claims just like yours.

Discuss your case with Mr. Kates at (718) 866-3664today.

Step-by-Step Guide to the C-Section Procedure

First, doctors administer anesthesia to help with the pain. In many cesarean deliveries, the mother remains awake throughout the procedure. Doctors typically use regional anesthesia, such as a spinal block and epidural block, to numb the lower part of your body.

Then, doctors make an incision through your abdominal wall. Usually, they do this horizontally near your pubic hairline, but sometimes, they make a vertical incision from your navel to your pubic bone. From there, doctors will cut through each layer of your fatty and connective tissue and separate your abdominal muscle to access your abdominal cavity. Afterward, doctors make a uterine incision and use it to deliver your baby. Once your baby is delivered, they remove your placenta and close the incisions with sutures.

If all goes according to plan, and you have not had to undergo general anesthesia, you will be able to see and hear your child immediately after they are delivered, and you and your baby will be able to go home once you have recovered from your surgery.

Understanding Different Types of Cesarean Sections

There are 3 types of cesarean deliveries. These include:

• Planned C-sections – where you and your doctor choose your child’s date of birth and schedule a surgery.
• Unplanned C-sections – when an unforeseen complication necessitates cesarean delivery, but neither you nor your child is in danger.
• Emergency C-sections – when you must have a C-section because you or your child are in serious danger.

Understandably, emergency C-sections lead to the most-serious C-section injuries. Sometimes, an emergency C-section itself is cause enough for a medical malpractice claim. In many cases, your doctor should have anticipated certain complications or planned for cesarean delivery.

If you have questions about what went wrong during your C-section, contact Attorney David A. Kates today.

Medical Reasons for a Cesarean Delivery in Queens, NY

Situations that call for C-section can occur before and during labor and delivery.

You may need a C-Section if:

• You are HIV-positive
• You have diabetes
• You have a genital herpes outbreak during labor
• You’ve had a previous C-section
• You are pregnant with more than 1 child
• Your child is very large (macrosomia)
• Your child’s head is too big (severe hydrocephalus)
• Your child is in breech (feet first) or transverse (shoulder first) position
• Your placenta covers the opening of your cervix (placenta previa)
• Your cervix stops dilating (stalled labor)
• An obstruction (like a large fibroid or pelvic fracture) is blocking the birth canal
• The umbilical cord slips through your cervix ahead of your baby
• The placenta starts to separate from the uterine wall (placental abruption)
• Your baby is in distress (their heart rate is cause for concern)

Some of these concerns can be addressed long before you’re in the delivery room, but others may only arise during labor and delivery. In either case, your doctor needs to respond appropriately and handle your procedure with the utmost care.