Things don’t always go as planned during childbirth. Sometimes, problems can lead to the mother getting injured. While most doctors will notice and treat an injury immediately, other times, you will need to contact medical malpractice experts, such as the ones on www.bergerlagnese.com. Therefore, it is important to know some basic facts about birth injuries.
1. What Is a Birth Injury?
These are physical injuries that affect the mother during childbirth. This can be something minor, like vaginal tearing, or major, like muscle damage in the pelvic floor. Minor injuries occur in the perineal area. For instance, perineal tears occur in almost every vaginal birth. Hemorrhoids, or small lumps around the anus, are also possible. While these are painful or itchy, they usually go away quickly. The worst injury a mother can experience in this area is nerve damage, leading to the painful condition, pudendal neuralgia.
Additionally, women can experience damage to the muscles in their pelvic floor region. Typically, women who have a baby vaginally will experience changes in the pelvic floor muscles. However, if these muscles are damaged, they can be too weak to support your organs, and you can experience bladder or bowel problems.
While there are plenty of physical injuries a mother can experience, they can also undergo psychological distress. This is called birth trauma. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reduce your chances of experiencing birth trauma, and there are plenty of support groups and therapies available to treat these conditions.
2. What Causes Them?
If you experience a birth injury, it probably stemmed from something outside of your control. For instance, the most common causes include baby position, large babies, short or long labors, labor complications, assisted deliveries, and unusually shaped pelvises.
3. How Are They Treated?
Some injuries, such as tears, are minor and will heal without medical intervention. Others will need immediate treatment. Severe ones may require pain relief. Serious damage, such as deep tears and injured pelvic floor muscles, will also therapeutic exercises to strengthen and help rebuild the muscles in your pelvic region. If this doesn’t relieve symptoms, doctors may recommend surgery to repair your organs’ structure. Unfortunately, muscle damage can often go undetected for some time and cause more problems until the surgery is the only option. Anyone experiencing bladder or bowel problems immediately after pregnancy should go to a doctor to check for pelvic floor damage.
Another treatment option is planning for your next pregnancy. If you have experienced an injury, you are more likely to have the same problem in future pregnancies, so your doctor will likely recommend a planned cesarean section as a preventative treatment.
4. How Can You Prevent Them?
While these are not completely avoidable, you can do a few things to reduce the chance of injuries. The easiest one is to continue exercising until the baby is due. This can involve a combination of walking and exercises targeting the pelvic floor muscles. You should also avoid eating foods that will make you constipated and straining to empty your bowels, as this can weaken your pelvic floor. If you have serious concerns, speak to your doctor about a planned cesarean section, but keep in mind that this is a form of invasive surgery that can have its own complications.
Birth injuries are a common side effect that a mother can experience after having a child. To ensure you get the best care, it is important to learn more about the types of injuries and what causes them. It is also a good idea to know how they are treated and the steps you can take to minimize your risk.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
