For a developed country, the United States has serious issues when it comes to protecting mothers during labor and delivery. Far too many women suffer serious injuries or even die during the birth process across the country, and some of those mothers may be right here in Delaware. In fact, a recent investigation conducted by USA Today tried to determine why so many mothers in this country suffer birth injuries.
The investigation found that around 700 women died due to childbirth and approximately 50,000 suffered serious injuries. Better care for expectant mothers could have prevented no less than half of these tragedies. The problem appears to be that medical personnel failed to take action quickly enough when mothers began experiencing problems.
The only state where the problem is not increasing is California, due to the implementation of certain safety measures. Sadly, other states, including Delaware, do not seem to be following this state’s example fast enough. The top two culprits when it comes to mothers’ birth injuries are hemorrhaging and high blood pressure. These two complications are often easily rectified if caught in time. Tragically, it does not appear that medical personnel pay enough attention to provide quick treatment.
Mothers who suffer serious birth injuries could find themselves suffering from permanent and/or debilitating health repercussions. A mother’s death affects the whole family, especially the newly born child who will never get to know his or her mother. This is a problem that needs to be fixed, and when people come forward to file medical malpractice complaints due to circumstances such as these, it draws more attention to the problem and could help make much needed changes that could end up saving lives.