In the United States, over 90% of deliveries are carried out yearly without issues that need special help. However, the other 10% of children born each year need some intervention to protect both the mother and kid. Patients depend on doctors and other medical professionals for these circumstances and to take the required steps to deliver babies safely. A total of 28,000 birth injuries occur annually, and many of them might be avoided. According to this, three kids are injured at birth every hour or about seven out of every 1000 babies delivered in the United States annually.
Birth injury significantly impacts the relationship between a mother and her child. It may also affect other intimate relationships, such as those with a partner, family, and friends. After a birth injury, it is important to take help to repair the relationships and form deeper connections. Families can consult lawyers specializing in birth injury to file their claim and seek financial compensation to pay for their child’s medical expenses.
According to a recent survey by the MASIC Foundation, which helps moms who suffered major birth injuries, 85% of women felt the delivery traumas affected their relationship with their child.
Women who experienced serious birth damage reported the following, according to MASIC’s research of 325 participants.
- Traumatic memories affect 78% of mothers.
- 52% of mothers felt ashamed of their symptoms.
- 49% questioned their capacity to be mothers.
- 45 percent reported having postpartum depression.
- 34% thought their child was the reason for their injuries.
- 31% believed that their child would be happier without them.
- 24 percent of those who suffered injuries regretted having a child.
- 14% claimed that the relationship was irreversibly damaged.
Additionally, the study discovered that breastfeeding, which is considered an important relationship-building factor between a mother and her child, is also impacted. This is because a stressful birth can cause milk production to be delayed. Even though it is biologically determined and cannot be prevented, many women may perceive this as a failure that could worsen unpleasant emotions.
What Causes Birth Injury?
If you experience birth injuries, something outside your control most likely contributed to the problem. The following are some of the key risk factors for birth injury:
- Having a large baby
- The position of the baby, such as in a breech birth
- Labor complications
- Having a very quick or very long labor
- Assisted delivery using forceps or ventouse (vacuum)
- Having a pelvis that is tiny or oddly formed
What Leads To The Disconnection Between A Mother And Child After Birth Trauma?
Most people think that giving birth is a lovely and joyful experience. Expectant mothers may feel a lot of pressure due to these misconceptions. They can have a particularly devastating effect on new mothers who had traumatic births.
“Women with traumatic experiences may feel fear, helplessness, or horror about their experience and suffer from recurrent, overwhelming memories, flashbacks, thoughts, and nightmares about the birth. They may also feel distressed, anxious, or panicky when exposed to things that remind them of the event, and they may avoid anything that brings up the trauma, including talking about it.
Following are some suggestions for mothers to help build a relationship with their kids:
- Release your trauma
- Study about what you experienced.
- Give you and your baby some time to get to know one another.
- Try babywearing and Infant Massage
Mother’s Relationships With Other Family Members May Be Affected By Trauma
It might be unsettling for women to feel like completely different individuals after becoming new mothers and going through trauma. As a result, their connections with those around them might suffer too.
Relationships with partners can become tense, and sex can occasionally bring back horrific birth memories. Sex can also make a woman fearful if she connects it to being pregnant once more and having to go through yet another traumatic experience.
Women who have experienced difficult pregnancies can feel resentful or let down by their family and friends, who they believe could have done more to help or protect them.
Why Do I Need Legal Support For A Birth Injury?
Birth injury lawyers can assist you in getting the money you need to pay for your child’s medical requirements when a child’s birth harm results from negligent medical care. Therapies, nursing and specialized care, drugs, and assistive equipment are all possible forms of birth injury treatment, all of which can add up over time.
A dedicated law firm reviews your case to increase your chances of being awarded fair compensation.
