What Is a Mismanaged Pregnancy Infection?
Quality prenatal care is essential for every pregnant woman. Regular visits to the obstetrician ensure that the pregnancy is progressing as it should and the baby is developing properly. These appointments are designed to monitor the health of both baby and mother.
Expectant mothers are tested for potential infections and conditions throughout their pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes and group B streptococcus. These tests are different than screenings and ultrasounds for chromosomal abnormalities, genetic disorders, or birth defects.
Mothers need to be watched carefully to make sure they don’t develop a urinary tract infection (UTI) or bacterial vaginosis. These conditions are easily treatable when a woman is not pregnant, but they can be incredibly dangerous for mother and baby during pregnancy.
How Do Mismanaged Pregnancy Infections Happen?
Pregnant women have an increased risk of infections, a fact that obstetricians know and should monitor carefully. Changes in the size of the uterus, strep and staph infections, and viral and fungal infections can cause a UTI. A UTI should be a sign to any doctor that something is not right and needs to be further explored.
Having diabetes also increases a mother’s risk of UTIs. Any woman who has a history of bacterial vaginosis is at a higher risk of developing this problem while pregnant. And any woman who is under the care of a doctor who neglects to do basic pregnancy testing, such as for group B strep, will be unaware that she may have a condition that could be passed on to her child and cause severe health problems.
The Serious Risks of Pregnancy Infections for Mother and Baby
If an expectant mother’s infection goes undiagnosed, mishandled, or untreated, it can be transmitted to the unborn child and result in complications during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. In many cases, these complications can do permanent harm.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): When a woman develops an infection in the urinary system, the problem is in the kidneys, urethra, ureter, or bladder. UTIs are easily treated with antibiotics for non-pregnant women. The increased risk of UTI in pregnant women, however, particularly in the first and second trimesters, can potentially lead to premature birth or premature rupture of the membranes and cause the baby permanent birth injuries, such as brain damage. UTI cultures are typically taken at the first prenatal visit and follow-up tests are administered throughout the pregnancy.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS): GBS are bacteria in the lower genital tract that are found in about a quarter of all women. GBS is usually not a problem for women before pregnancy but can cause placental infections and postpartum infections in pregnant women. GBS can also cause UTIs, which could prompt preterm labor and birth. These problems are concerning enough, but GBS is also the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns.
A baby can contract GBS during pregnancy or when passing through the birth canal during delivery. The infant could develop pneumonia or meningitis, experience brain damage, develop cerebral palsy, or suffer hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy; both mother and baby could develop sepsis. Standards of care require doctors to test for GBS between weeks 35 and 37 of pregnancy, as there are usually no obvious symptoms of the infection.
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV): BV is the most common vaginal infection for women of child-bearing age. Screening of pregnant women for BV is not required, but there are symptoms associated with BV and awareness of these and the correct diagnosis means the condition can be treated easily. Doctors also know that BV is likely to recur. Untreated bacterial vaginosis can result in premature birth, and this puts a baby at risk for cerebral palsy and other lifelong conditions.
Was Your Child a Victim of a Mismanaged Pregnancy Infection?
Doctors have nine months to properly monitor a woman’s health, her developing pregnancy, and the health of her unborn child. There are routine tests that need to be done and special observations that need to be made throughout the gestation. Sometimes, a doctor may fail to diagnose an infection and therefore fail to treat it properly. When this happens, and mother or child is harmed or develops long-term damage as a result, it’s medical malpractice.
Your physician may be at fault if your child has a permanent injury because of a mismanaged pregnancy infection or failure to diagnose and treat a pregnancy infection. Contact Thurswell Law to hold the doctor accountable for causing physical, emotional, and financial suffering. Our experienced attorneys will help secure compensation. We do not charge a fee unless you collect. Contact us today for a free consultation. Call (248) 354-2222
