What Long-Term Effects Can Maternal Birth Injuries Cause?

 Posted on April 30, 2025 in Birth Injury

When most people hear the term "birth injuries," they think about harm caused to the newborn. While many cases do involve birth injuries like cerebral palsy, meconium aspiration, and shoulder dystocia, mothers can also sustain injuries during childbirth.

Some of these maternal wounds heal over time, but others can have disastrous long-term consequences. Not all maternal injuries are preventable. However, if your injury was caused by medical negligence, our knowledgeable Chicago maternal injuries attorneys will fight to secure maximum compensation on your behalf.

What Are Some of the Most Common Maternal Injuries?

Mothers can experience both physical and psychological injuries that stem from labor and delivery. Vaginal and perineal tears are common, particularly for first-time mothers. Some tears are minor, but deeper ones can affect muscles and other surrounding tissues. These tears typically result from the baby’s head being too large or the mother’s vaginal walls not stretching enough. An episiotomy is a surgical incision that addresses these issues and typically does not cause severe or lasting damage, but even an improperly performed episiotomy can cause complications. Surgery may be necessary to repair these tears.

Postpartum hemorrhage is another physical maternal injury and is a leading cause of maternal death. A uterine rupture or issues with the placenta are often the reasons behind this issue. This heavy, excessive bleeding often happens within 24 hours after delivery, but it could also take place for up to three months.

Psychological wounds can have varying degrees of effect on mothers. Postpartum depression is often caused by the abrupt hormonal changes and other adjustments after childbirth. Postpartum PTSD is another condition that often accompanies a traumatic birth, such as one involving a difficult labor, severe complications, or extreme pain during childbirth.

What Long-Term Consequences Can Result From Maternal Injuries?

A mother’s life can be permanently altered by these and other birth injuries. Long-term effects include:

• Sexual dysfunction
• An inability to have more children
• Urinary or bowel incontinence
• High-risk future pregnancies
• Chronic pain
• Other adverse quality-of-life impacts

When medical negligence leads to avoidable maternal injuries, you could be entitled to compensation. In cases of maternal death, families may qualify to bring a wrongful death claim.

What Kinds of Medical Negligence Can Lead to Maternal Injuries?

Obstetricians and other medical providers are expected to offer high standards of care. Medical negligence in maternal injury cases could be failing to identify maternal risk factors, failing to monitor the mother and child appropriately, delaying or failing to perform a medically necessary procedure or surgery, and failing to warn mothers of known risks.

Damages in these cases could include lost income, related medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other associated losses. Sadly, you cannot trust a medical malpractice insurer to pay your claim fairly unless you have one of our seasoned attorneys advocating for your rights and interests.

Request Your Free Consultation With Our Dedicated Cook County, IL Maternal Injuries Lawyers

If medical negligence caused your maternal injuries, you can trust the competent Chicago, IL birth injuries attorneys at Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd. to fight to help you collect the compensation you deserve. Call 312-462-4200 now or contact us online to arrange for your complimentary case evaluation.