A Doctor’s Improper Use of Forceps May have Cost Baby Her Life

By Thomas Greer | January 11, 2014

On December 28, 2013, a young Texas couple welcomed their newborn daughter.  However, the joy of her birth was short-lived as the infant was purportedly harmed through the unsuccessful use of forceps during labor and the infant suffered from severe injuries at the time of her delivery.  According to ABC News, the couple alleges that the doctor’s use of forceps resulted in a crushed skull and led to brain death.  The little girl died five days after she was born, following her removal from life support equipment.

As reported in the news story, the couple had asked the doctor to perform a Cesarean section (“C-section”) because of the size of the baby and the diminutive size of the mother.  The baby, Olivia, was seven pounds, 14.9 ounces, at the time of birth while her four foot eleven inch mother had weighed only 95 pounds before the pregnancy.  The couple claims that the doctor refused their requests to perform a C-section and stated that it would lead to a scar.

After being denied, according to the parents, a C-section, Olivia’s mother went into labor, which lasted for more than eighteen hours, at which time, Olivia’s mother was apparently running a fever of 103 degrees and the baby was not coming.  It was at this time that things went terribly wrong, according to baby Olivia’s father.  The doctor attempted to turn the baby manually and then used forceps to pull the baby out.  When the use of forceps was unsuccessful, the baby was delivered via emergency C-section.

Baby Olivia was transferred to Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit via Life Flight, where she was ultimately placed on life support, which was then removed five days after her birth.

The use of forceps carries with it a recognized risk of harm to the baby, including skull fractures, intracranial bleeding, hematomas, bruises, and lacerations.  When there is a situation where the baby is not passing through the birth canal in a normal fashion, the doctor may choose to use forceps or vacuum extractors, which have their own potential risks.  Olivia’s parents have now started a campaign to have the use of forceps eliminated completely during the delivery process.

What happened to baby Olivia is a tragedy.  Frequently, a doctor will monitor the situation during a delivery and make a decision about using tools or ordering an emergency Cesarean section.  There are times during the labor and delivery process where problems will resolve themselves, including abnormal presentations where the baby will turn on its own, which is why doctors sometimes hesitate to order an emergency Cesarean section until other options have been attempted.  What is imperative in a situation like this is that the doctor must monitor the situation carefully and make the right decision at the proper time.  A misdiagnosis or erroneous interpretation of the ensuing the complications can lead to tragic consequences, which is what apparently happened with baby Olivia.

The period of time before your baby is born should be one of hope and planning, where you prepare for your new life with your baby.  When fears begin to creep into the pregnancy and the doctor does not listen and respond in a reasonable manner, then you may feel like you have no options other than to do what the doctors tells you.  However, if the negligent decisions of your doctor resulted in harm to your child, you need the help of experienced Tennessee birth injury attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC.  We understand how to cut through the wall that doctors and medical professionals often put up and get to the truth of what happened.  To schedule a time to discuss what happened to you and your baby, call us at 901-680-9777.  At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.

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