Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Large Babies May Benefit from Early Induced Labor. Talk to a Birth Injury Lawyer in Cleveland

Does your doctor think the baby you’re bringing to term might be larger than average in size? Congratulations. That means more to love. But that also means your baby may face greater risk of getting its shoulders stuck during delivery and potentially face a birth injury. You may benefit from an early induced labor at 37 to 38 weeks of pregnancy. Besides saving yourself that call to a birth injury lawyer in Cleveland, you’ll be protecting the baby’s health and potentially preventing birth complications.

A recent European study suggests that women pregnant with unusually large babies may benefit from early labor induction, generally around 37 to 38 weeks. Doctors tend to avoid early labor induction because early labor can lead to breathing problems and other complications to the infants. However large babies have greater risk of getting their shoulders stuck during birth, which presents a greater risk for fractures, nerve damage and suffocation. The risk is around 1 percent for normal size babies, but 10 percent for larger infants. The study found that one case of shoulder dystocia was prevented for every 25 labor inductions

“I believe that the benefits of induction outweighed the potential risk of an early term birth” for infants who are exceptionally large, lead author Dr. Michel Boulvain, of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland, said in an email to Reuters.

If you gave birth to a large baby that suffered shoulder dystocia as a result of not being induced, you may have a case for a birth injury lawyer in Cleveland. Contact the Linton Law Firm for a free consultation today.