Every expectant mother hopes to have a full-term pregnancy, smooth delivery, and a healthy newborn, and that’s exactly what many women experience. However, sometimes pregnancies and labor and delivery don’t go as planned. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including conditions that mothers-to-be may suffer while pregnant. Unfortunately, when an expectant mother becomes ill, it can negatively affect the unborn baby in her womb. It can become even more severe if the mother’s condition goes undiagnosed or there is a delay in diagnosis by medical professionals.
Gestational diabetes is one such condition. It involves high levels of glucose in the mother’s blood while she is pregnant. It can occur in women with no previous history of diabetes and should be tested for during pregnancy. When gestational diabetes is diagnosed and treated early, most mothers give birth to perfectly healthy babies who have no long-term conditions related to the gestational diabetes. But there are some serious complications that can occur if treatment is delayed, the condition is missed by doctors, or the condition is uncontrollable with treatment.
The complications that affect the baby of a mother with gestational diabetes vary widely in severity. Some issues are minor and resolve themselves with time, while others are life-threatening. Some of the most common complications are as follows:
Any of the above can negatively affect unborn or newborn babies, especially when early detection and treatment of gestational diabetes in their mothers is delayed. Of course, there are also risks associated with the condition for mothers, including an increased risk of gestational diabetes for any future pregnancies that would also impact the new baby.
There are times when the complications that follow gestational diabetes in pregnant women are unfortunate and unavoidable – they simply happen, and no one is to blame. However, there are other times when doctors or other medical staff make mistakes, misdiagnose, or fail to diagnose gestational diabetes in the mother, resulting in complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or shortly after delivery. When this happens, it could be considered medical malpractice.
The failure to properly diagnose, monitor, and treat a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes can result in severe complications for mother and child. It can result in excessive medical bills, emotional and mental distress, and pain and suffering, that no family should have to suffer.
If you or a loved one had gestational diabetes and your baby suffered complications as a result, you may have a birth injury malpractice lawsuit. At Ross Feller Casey, we have gestational diabetes lawyers and medical doctors onsite who are experienced and knowledgeable about the condition and its complications.
Ross Feller Casey also has a proven track record of winning gestational diabetes cases for our clients, eliminating the financial burdens they suffered due to the birth injuries their babies experienced at the hands of medical professionals.
If you are a victim of medical negligence, we can help. Please contact one of our birth injury attorneys today to schedule your free case evaluation.
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