Failure to Induce Labor

A lot of attention has been paid in recent years to the possible complications of inducing labor. The use of drugs such as Pitocin has been linked to a number of potential health issues for mother and child alike, including decreased oxygen supply, fetal distress, and internal hemorrhaging.

Your doctor has a legal duty to obtain your informed consent before taking any steps to induce labor or beginning non-standard procedures, such as a Cesarean section or using vacuum suction or forceps. Moreover, for those who have had a C-section in the past, the possibility of serious rupture during induced labor must be taken into account. Both patient and health care provider have to make any such decision together, having carefully reviewed the hazards involved.

When it Makes Sense

However, despite the risks, inducing labor is sometimes the only viable option. Signs that induced labor may be in order include:

• Being a week or more past your due date
• Broken water but no contractions
• Uterine infection
• Failure for the child to develop at a normal rate in womb
• Inadequate amniotic fluid surrounding the child
• Deterioration of the placenta
• Health care issue on the mother’s part, for example, high blood pressure or diabetes

Failure to induce labor given these signs can be a deadly mistake for both parent and infant. Unfortunately, given all the concern surrounding this topic, doctors sometimes hesitate to make the necessary call, or simply misread the situation. It is important to remember that chemically-induced labor, while a fairly recent development, has helped enable the survival of countless moms and children around the world.

Contact Us

If you or someone you know has been affected by a doctor’s failure to adequately recognize the need for or discuss induced labor, you should seek legal counsel immediately. Contact the experienced team of Philadelphia birth injury lawyers at the offices of Lowenthal and Abrams, P.C. today by calling 215-238-1130.