Possible Post Operative Surgery Malpractice on a Baby

Question:

My baby girl was born 29 weeks and a day at Sacred Heart. It was due to my pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure that my OBGYN did not tell me about until I was 7 months. He sent me to an OBGYN specialist at Sacred Heart. He told us they are going to have to keep me because my baby was not getting enough oxygen to the placenta.  Four days after I had her, she had to have immediate surgery on her intestines because her first bowel movement would not go thru. Due to that surgery she caught a staff infection which turned her right intestines black. They had to give her antibiotics for 6 weeks. Her doctor told us due to her surgery the MRI showed more fluid than brain and she would have a delay. As her parents what do we do??

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Answer:

Pre-eclampsia develops during pregnancy and is very dangerous.  You may not have been told because you had not yet developed the symptoms.  However, it sounds like your baby may have had what is called NEC.  It is something that should be looked for in premature babies.  The intestines are not fully developed and do have to be removed.  Doing the surgery is the right thing but I am not sure why there was a problem with her brain.  You should obtain your records or permit an attorney in Tampa, FL to obtain them to see what happened during that surgery.

This legal question was provided by Avvo and answered by Betsey Herd an experienced Tampa Medical Malpractice Lawyer.  This does not consent an attorney client relationship.