Although many women look back on their birth of their child as one of the happiest moments of their lives, many others unfortunately associate their childbirth with trauma.
This week is Birth Trauma Awareness Week. Birth trauma is a condition thought to affect as many as 200,000 women. It involves developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after childbirth. Symptoms of birth trauma can include re-experiencing the event through flashbacks/intrusive memories and avoiding anything that reminds you of the event, including the hospital in which you gave birth.
Poor care or clinical negligence?
Whilst the precise cause will vary, several factors increase the likelihood of a woman developing birth trauma after the birth of her child. For example, of those affected, 87% of women cited poor communication from staff as contributing to their condition and one in three mentioned unkindness from staff as a contributory factor.
It can also be the result of clinical negligence, such as issues being missed by clinicians or procedures not being performed to the expected standard. We know this from our considerable experience of dealing with claims from women who have been traumatised as a result of the negligent care they received during their child’s birth and understand the lasting impact this can have on their lives.
Medication errors
For example, in one of our recent cases, a midwife’s dosing errors during delivery caused our client Karen to bleed heavily, so that an emergency caesarean procedure had to be performed. Because of the circumstances surrounding this incident, Karen unfortunately developed birth trauma.
Sophie Keatley, legal advisor with Medical Accident Group, said: “After Karen’s traumatic experience of childbirth, I was determined to hold the hospital to account for the negligent care they provided. I was able to ensure she received £15,000 in compensation, which I hope will make her and her family’s life easier.”
We can help
If you, or someone you know, has suffered from birth trauma as a result of clinical negligence, we can help – we have a team of dedicated clinical negligence solicitors who will guide you through the process of making a claim. Call the team now on 0800 050 1668 or email us at [email protected]
