Using Forceps During Delivery Can Be Dangerous

If the doctor told you that he would be using a certain tool during delivery that could cause your baby to sustain facial nerve damage, skull fracture, intracranial hemorrhage, facial paralysis or severe bruising, would you agree to it? These are just some of the risks associated with forceps.

Forceps are used during delivery and consist of twin steel blades. These blades are positioned inside the mother and secured on either side of the newborn’s head. During delivery, forceps are used to pull and rotate the baby until the head is delivered. As you can imagine, this pulling and rotating with steel blades can harm both the baby and mother.

A forceps delivery is considered a medical procedure and does come with immense risks. Babies have been known to have their neck vertebrae pulled out of alignment from the use of forceps and some infants have suffered permanent damage from birth injury caused by this medical instrument. Forceps are rarely medically necessary, but doctors still use these instruments periodically.

The main danger of using forceps during delivery has to do with the placement of the instrument and the traction. The least amount of traction should be used with forceps to minimize the risk of birth injury.

Due to the danger of using forceps during delivery, many doctors recommend C-sections instead. The risk of injuring a child in a C-section is low, which is one reason that these procedures have become more common in recent years.

If your baby sustained a birth injury during a forceps delivery, you need to contact a Louisville birth injury lawyer at Gray and White Law immediately. A medical malpractice attorney from the law firm will be able to review your case to determine if there was medical negligence that led to your child’s injuries. If the doctor or hospital was negligent, you may be able to recover financial compensation. Contact us today at 1-502-637-6000 or 1-800-637-6033 for a legal consultation.