Kentucky Personal Injury Blog

Needing medical attention can be a frightening experience. Though most Kentucky residents expect their conditions to get better after seeing medical professionals, they may find themselves feeling worse off than before. Unfortunately, some doctors, nurses or other medical staff members could act negligently and cause significant issues for patients, which could lead to medical malpractice claims.

It is important to remember that negligence does not always equal malpractice. It can certainly contribute to malpractice, but typically, in order for malpractice to have occurred, the medical professional would have had to violate the standard of care. The standard of care refers to acceptable medical treatment that reasonable health care professionals would take in similar situations. If a doctor's or other medical professional's negligence resulted in unacceptable treatment or otherwise violated the standard of care, malpractice may have occurred.

Few things are more exciting than welcoming a new baby into the world. Whether having your first child or a subsequent one, you want your baby to be as healthy as possible. Unfortunately, though, birth injuries are probably more common than you think. Oxygen deprivation during birth is one such injury. 

Chances are good that both you and your baby will leave the hospital without incident. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly seven out of every 1,000 deliveries results in an injury to the child. If you want to prevent oxygen deprivation during birth, you should understand some of the common reasons it occurs. Here are five of them: 

When you prepare to give birth at a Kentucky hospital, you are likely most concerned with delivering a healthy baby. You would be wise to also consider the risks you face as a mother during delivery. Sadly, the maternal mortality rate in the United States continues to rise, even though medical advancements are underway all the time designed to make the process of delivering a child safer and easier for everyone.

According to Psychology Today, about 700 American women die every year because of pregnancy-related issues, which can include any number of problems or health issues that develop during pregnancy, or within one year of the end of a pregnancy. Some American women, however, are more likely to die due to pregnancy-related causes than others.

As an expecting mother, you are likely feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. While you cannot wait to bring your baby into the world, you may also worry about potential complications. Birth injuries and defects are possible, which is why awareness and prevention are vital.

Knowing the statistics about birth complications and understanding how to best prevent these from occurring will help you be prepared and have peace of mind. Read below for some helpful information on the occurrence of birth injuries in America and what you and your health care team can do to have a healthy baby.