Royal College of Midwives Drop Their Normal Birth Campaign

Royal College of Midwives Drop Their Normal Birth Campaign

Did you know that there are 27 incidents EVERY day resulting in death or serious harm following failures by medical staff?

Heartbreakingly, it is estimated that of these incidents, around 4 per week are babies who are left brain damaged by NHS mistakes.

One of most serious injuries that a baby can suffer is brain trauma caused during the birth as a result of decreased oxygen and blood flow to the brain. Thankfully such brain trauma is rare but if your child has suffered from a brain injury, such as cerebral palsy, at birth the consequences can be devastating.

Just 4 days ago the Royal College of Midwives dropped their 12 year long campaign for so called ‘normal birth’ and will no longer encourage women to have babies without medical intervention. The campaign had been criticised for many reasons but more so after it was revealed that a mother and 11 babies died at the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust between 2004 and 2013.

In June the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published its “Each Baby Counts” documents which documented all cases in 2015 where full term babies had died or suffered brain damage. Unfortunately in 25% of the cases the documentation and local level investigation was too poor to take these cases into account while 76% of the residual cases found that the injuries were avoidable if proper care had been given during childbirth.

There are several different causes of brain damage in babies at birth, with the most common being physical trauma in assisted delivery such as tools (forceps or ventouse) being improperly placed causing damage to the babies head; a starvation of oxygen to the baby during the birth; untreated maternal infection, such as Group Strep B, or untreated jaundice.

The initial shock and immediate medical treatment following a brain injury will usually lead to a period of adjustment and rehabilitation. And it can be a lengthy process because it’s almost impossible to predict how far or how fast people will recover from their injury.

Wolferstans are pleased to be a member of the Brain Injury Group who exist to support individuals and families affected by brain injury, and the health and social care professionals working in this specialist field.

Their mission is to provide anyone affected by brain injury with access to legal, financial and welfare services delivered by proven experts in the field who have been chosen not only for their skills and knowledge, but also for their passion and dedication to helping people.

Whether you are considering making a claim, need other specialist legal advice, are looking information on statutory funding or welfare benefits, or access to a broad range of services and professional support through our online directory, the Brain Injury Group provides a gateway to the support you need.

Here at Wolferstans we have several brain injury specialist lawyers who will help and guide you through the process.

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by brain injury at birth then please don’t hesitate to contact us. Wolferstans’ Medical Negligence specialists can sensitively discuss and deal with your case for you so if you would like to have a free initial discussion without any obligation then please contact Jodie O’Connor on 01752 292360 or email her at joconnor@wolferstans.com.

    Get in touch to discuss how we can help you.





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