While many pregnancies go smoothly with few issues, some expectant mothers are diagnosed with medical conditions that arise. One of the most commonly diagnosed medical conditions related to pregnancy is gestational diabetes. This condition can develop even if the mother has no history of diabetes or related health issues.

Gestational diabetes can be controlled and treated to help avoid any complications during pregnancy or birth related to this diagnosis. However, if a doctor fails to properly diagnose and treat this condition, it can worsen and cause numerous complications and birth injuries. Because of the prevalence of gestational diabetes, there is no excuse for a doctor providing prenatal care to miss the warning signs and symptoms of a mother with gestational diabetes.

Unfortunately, sometimes a woman is not diagnosed as she should be, causing unnecessary injury to her, her baby, or both. If a doctor makes a serious error in judgment by not testing you for gestational diabetes and it results in a birth injury, the law gives you the right to hold the doctor accountable for any losses you experience.

THE EFFECTS OF UNTREATED GESTATIONAL DIABETES

Despite the importance of testing for gestational diabetes, some pregnant women go undiagnosed and untreated. Having uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to many different complications or injuries that may have been avoided with a proper diagnosis. Some of these complications that may affect your baby include:

• Excessive birth weight
• Preterm birth
• Hypoglycemia
• High risk of future obesity and type 2 diabetes

Many of the above complications can be addressed by a doctor to successfully prevent birth injuries. However, if a mother is not diagnosed correctly, a doctor may not know to plan ahead to avoid such complications.

COMMON RISKS

In addition to the harm to a baby, a failure to diagnose and treat gestational diabetes can cause serious harm to a pregnant woman. Risks of injury to a mother include the following:

• Gestational diabetes can increase a woman’s chance of developing type 2 diabetes after the pregnancy.
• During the pregnancy, untreated gestational diabetes can cause a woman to develop a dangerous condition called preeclampsia, which involves high blood pressure and damage to organs, such as the liver or kidneys.

In short, gestational diabetes is common. Yet it can be dangerous to both child and mother if a doctor does not properly diagnose and address the matter so that the mother learns how to control her blood sugar.

WHO IS LIABLE FOR THE INJURIES YOU OR YOUR CHILD SUFFERED?

If your doctor diagnoses and properly treats your gestational diabetes and unavoidable harm occurs anyway, no one can be held liable for the costs of treating that injury. On the other hand, if a doctor somehow misses your gestational diabetes due to a serious medical error, he or she may be held legally and financially responsible for any losses you incur due to resulting injuries.

Our attorneys can help you prove the following in your birth injury claim:

• That your doctor negligently failed to diagnose your gestational diabetes when another reasonably prudent, similarly-trained doctor would have made the diagnosis in that situation
• That you or your child sustained a birth injury as a result of the missed diagnosis
• That you incurred losses due to your birth injury, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, lasting impairments, and more

OUR GESTATIONAL DIABETES LAWYERS CAN HELP

If any of the above serious problems occurred during or following your pregnancy and you or your child were harmed you should consult our experienced Pennsylvania birth injury attorneys at The Pisanchyn Law Firm as you could receive compensation and bring the medical professionals involved to justice. Consultation and legal representation for PA birth injury cases is free of charge until we win your case, and even then you will never pay out of pocket, we will only be paying you the money you deserve.

We know and understand that money and financial rewards could never give your baby a clean bill of health again, but someone needs to be held accountable for birth injury they have imposed on you and your family. We want to be here for you during this difficult time, please, call PA birth misdiagnosis lawyers at our local numbers or toll free at 1-800-444-5309 for a free consultation. We have offices in Scranton, Philadelphia Harrisburg and Pittsburgh and will travel to you.