An antenatal (before birth) injury describes any injury or condition that affects a mother or child and could have been avoided, or been less severe, if a doctor or midwife had ordered and properly interpreted the appropriate scans, tests or checks.
Conditions that are linked to antenatal claims include:
- Abnormal pregnancy
- Pre-eclampsia
- HELLP Syndrome
- Ruptured placenta
- Unwanted pregnancy
- Cephalopelvic Disproportion
Other potential problems that occur following mistakes made during pregnancy include:
- Misdiagnosis of health problems
- Failure to diagnose health problems
- Injuries to the mother
- Injuries to the child
Ultrasound Scans
During your pregnancy you will be offered optional ultrasound scans to help medical professionals to monitor (the scans use soundwaves to generate a picture of the child) your baby in the womb.
Ultrasound scans are used to:
- Detect abnormalities
- Show the position of the baby in the womb
- Check the baby is growing normally
Hospitals should offer at least two ultrasound scans during pregnancy: at some point between 8-14 weeks and between 18-21 weeks. However, if you think you weren’t offered a scan, or feel a mistake was made by those interpreting the results, leading to an injury, you could be entitled to compensation.
Antenatal Tests
There is a range of other tests that are used to make sure mother and child are in good health during pregnancy. They include:
- Antenatal urine tests
- Blood pressure tests
- Weight and height tests
- Blood tests
In addition, blood tests – again optional – will be offered at different stages of the pregnancy to make sure that the baby is healthy. Possible blood tests include:
- Blood group
- Diabetes
- Anaemia
- Rhesus disease