How Placental Injuries Lead to Birth Injuries

The placenta is an essential organ during pregnancy since it provides oxygen, nutrients, and waste removal for the developing baby. Part of the reason women have such strict prenatal care and receive ultrasounds so often during pregnancy is so that doctors can ensure the baby is healthy and growing at a normal pace, all thanks to a fully functional placenta.

However, when the placenta is damaged, it can lead to serious complications—including birth injuries. In the event that the placenta gets damaged during pregnancy, medical professionals typically do have time to intervene and treat the issue before complications arise. Unfortunately, they do not always recognize the symptoms in time.

What is the placenta?

The placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It connects the developing baby to the mother’s blood supply and provides oxygen, nutrients, and even removes waste and carbon monoxide for the baby. The placenta also produces hormones that help maintain the pregnancy.

What are some types of placental injuries?

Placental injuries can occur for a variety of reasons, including trauma to the mother’s abdomen, medical conditions such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, or abnormalities with the placenta itself. There are four main types of placental injuries that women may experience during pregnancy:

Placental abruption

This is one of the most rare, yet fatal, placental injuries. It occurs when the placenta separates from the uterine wall before delivery. As it separates, it also cuts off the baby’s oxygen and nutrient supply which can cause severe injuries. It typically occurs sometime in the third trimester, but it can happen as early as 20 weeks in some cases, especially after trauma.

A recent study found that nearly 5% of all pregnancies are affected by trauma and up to 59% of those may suffer from placental abruption. Because full or partial placental abruption cuts off the baby’s supply of things they need to survive, it can cause major injuries if not discovered quickly enough. Like many other types of placental injuries, it could lead to stillbirth, premature birth, or birth injuries such as cerebral palsy, developmental delays, or intellectual disabilities.

Placental insufficiency

When the placenta becomes damaged or does not develop as properly as it should, it may not be able to effectively provide the baby with nutrients or oxygen. This could cause so many injuries to the baby during a crucial development period. Believe it or not, studies say that the disruption of blood flow between the placenta and the baby, or placental infarction, actually happens in about 25% of normal-term pregnancies. However, it is not that common for something like this to happen at a larger scale where it affects the viability of the baby.

Placenta previa

When the placenta either partially or fully covers the cervix, it makes a typical vaginal delivery impossible. Placenta previa can cause a tear in the placenta itself while preparing for delivery and can cause bleeding or hemorrhaging, which is incredibly dangerous for both the mother and baby. It usually affects about one in every 200 women while in their third trimester and can come with serious complications, like premature birth, low birth weight, and respiratory problems.

Placenta accreta

Sometimes the placenta can also attach itself too deeply into the uterine wall. This may cause it to not detach after childbirth like normal. While it may seem like no big deal in comparison to the other placental injuries, leaving the placenta in place can lead to severe bleeding and even death of the mother if it goes untreated.

When the placenta is damaged, the baby can be injured

Although most placental injuries are not that common, the effects they have on both the mother and child can be devastating if left undiagnosed or treated. These are incredibly time-sensitive complications that need to be treated with urgency, especially when it comes to a developing baby. An injured or poorly developed placenta can cause a lack of the oxygen and nutrients on which babies rely from their mother. Without that, severe birth injuries can occur, like:

• Breathing conditions
• Brain damage
• Cerebral palsy
• Low blood count
• Low blood pressure
• Stillbirth
• Developmental impairments
• Jaundice

Many researchers still don’t understand how or why some placental injuries happen, but some say the common risk factors include:

• Having preeclampsia or high blood pressure
• Smoking
• Being over the age of 35
• Carrying multiples in the same pregnancy
• Smoking cigarettes
• Drug use
• Having prior pregnancies
• Getting pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF)

A Little Rock birth trauma attorney will fight for justice after a placental injury

If you were pregnant and suffered from a placental injury that left your child with a severe birth injury, you should reach out to an experienced Little Rock birth injury attorney today. While many medical professionals still do not understand why some of these placental injuries develop, they should still know the signs of one. After all, you trust your doctors to always do the right thing and notice when something is not right. When a medical provider fails to act within a reasonable standard of care during patient treatment, they must be held liable for the injuries that occurred.

Something as serious as a placental injury can change the life of both the mother and baby forever. For example, if a doctor failed to recognize the classic signs of placental abruption, the baby is losing oxygen by the second. The longer it takes, the more likely the child is to develop something like cerebral palsy which is an incurable brain injury that affects the baby’s ability to control its muscles. This is a lifelong injury that will require special mobility equipment and other expensive tools in order to live a somewhat normal life. Many times, medical professionals could be found liable for causing a child’s birth injury if they were proven to be negligent in their actions.

This is not a battle that you’ll want to fight alone. Doctors and hospitals have incredible legal teams that will do their best to dismiss your case. However, our Little Rock birth attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC will help build a solid case for you and fight for the compensation you and your family deserve. Call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation at our office in Little Rock.

Related Articles

• What Is Placenta Previa?
• What Are the Risks of Preterm Birth?
• What Is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)?
• What Is the Difference Between A Birth Injury and a Birth Defect?
• Can I Sue If My Child Is Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy?
• What Are the Most Common Birth Injuries?
• Recognizing the Signs of Preeclampsia