For many women in Pittsburgh it is likely that their first stay in a hospital is when they give birth for the first time. While for many women, other than having a baby this stay is uneventful, other new mothers or their babies are injured as a result of procedures that may not have actually been necessary. These are sometimes referred to as birth injuries.

As is the case in any hospital stay the procedures performed in the course of a delivery vary. Two that are fairly common are the induction of labor and Cesarean sections. While there are certainly times when these actions are warranted, there are times when women are not given all of the facts surrounding why such action may or may not be needed. In other instances, they may feel pressured into agreeing to the course of action.

Women undergoing these procedures when they are not actually needed can have the opposite of the intended effect. Such interventions increase the possibility of problems occurring for both the mother and the unborn baby. When either suffers an injury in the course of a delivery the result is devastating. It is that much worse when but for unnecessary actions taken by medical providers, it would not have happened.

When a birth injury does occur the ensuing medical treatment can be expensive. Depending on the injury and its extent, the lives of those impacted may never be "normal". In cases where constant medical is necessary for a birth injury that is due to negligence on the part of the medical provider, the injured individuals may benefit from filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Source: Consumer Reports, "Pregnant? Watch out for unnecessary c-sections and other questionable medical procedures," May 8, 2013