The birth of a child should be a cause for celebration, but postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) can cause enormous distress. Fighting for your life when you should be bonding with your new baby has both monetary and non-monetary consequences. Find out if your PPH entitles you to a settlement by reading on or speaking to a birth injury lawyer.

One to five percent of women experience PPH or excessive bleeding after delivery, and it is more common after a cesarean than a vaginal delivery. Excessive bleeding is defined as more than 500 ml after vaginal delivery and more than 1,000 ml after a cesarean. Heavy bleeding has several causes, and massive blood loss poses significant risks.

Causes of Postpartum Hemorrhage

PPH has many causes, some natural and some from interventions. The following conditions put mothers at higher risk for PPH and require close monitoring by healthcare providers:

  • Abnormal attachment of the placenta
  • Drugs to induce or stop labor
  • Multiple previous pregnancies
  • Pregnancy with multiples (twins, triplets)
  • Preeclampsia or high blood pressure
  • Unnecessary c-sections
  • Prolonged labor or assisted delivery
  • General anesthesia, especially when administered improperly

Most PPH occurs immediately or shortly after delivery. If your PPH occurs after a cesarean, you may have difficulty conceiving in the future.

Injuries due to PPH vary and include blood loss, hysterectomy, organ damage, organ failure, brain damage, and death, and any delay in treatment raises the chances of a bad outcome.

Treatment for PPH is expensive and may include a blood transfusion, fluids, medication to support blood pressure, uterine massage, a balloon catheter in the uterus to apply pressure, packing the uterus with surgical sponges, surgery, and a stay in the intensive care unit.

If your medical team did not act on your concerns or failed to provide adequate monitoring, you may be entitled to compensation. Negligent doctors and nurses also include those who did not act quickly to address the problem or directly caused your PPH. The amount you may be eligible for depends on the severity of your injury.

The Compensation You Qualify For

PPH can cause severe physical and emotional distress and disability. When your injury is due to healthcare negligence, you are owed compensation. Often this is recovered through the settlement process.

Calculating a fair settlement involves tallying your medical expenses, loss of income and benefits (for time lost at work due to your injury), disability, and lifelong healthcare related to the injury. It also includes loss of consortium, a legal term to describe non-economic damages like the inability to bond with your new baby or have more children.

In Indiana, the maximum amount you can receive in a PPH case is $1.8 million, since these cases are a type of medical malpractice. Calculating your compensation is a complex process, and hiring a lawyer ensures you receive a fair settlement.

Why You Should Hire an Attorney

You should hire an attorney for your Indianapolis birth injury lawsuit for several reasons, including settlement calculation, proving healthcare provider negligence, negotiating with the hospital, and representation in court if negotiations fail.

Settlement calculations can be tricky, especially when considering future medical expenses and pain and suffering. The team at Wagner Reese has the experience to help you through the process. Our legal team can tell you what documents you need to collect and help you articulate the PPH’s impact on your life and your family. Once fair compensation is determined, your lawyer will begin negotiations with the hospital.

Hospitals will fight to discredit any claims of wrongdoing on their part, but our experienced malpractice attorneys know how to fight for you.

Hospitals may claim that there was no malpractice and that your PPH and treatment were routine. They may also claim that the medical professionals involved are not employees of the hospital or the hospital did not know they were incompetent. They may even try to blame your injuries on things you did leading up the delivery. We don’t let hospitals get away with this.

If negotiations fail, you will need someone to represent you in court. Our legal team will use all the information from the negotiations to prepare your case. They will prepare you for the process and help you navigate the trial.

We Fight Aggressively for Your Rights

Wagner Reese has been fighting for victims of medical malpractice like you for over 25 years. We have the knowledge, skills, and experience to help you take your case from start to finish. Let us help you get the compensation you deserve. You should not bear the burden alone.

Our attorneys will aggressively represent you in your birth injury case. We have a reputation for getting a fair settlement and have secured multiple $1 million or higher birth injury settlements. Our lawyers are proud to make a difference in our clients’ lives.

Contact our Indiana medical malpractice lawyers for your free case evaluation if you have suffered from PPH.