As a parent of a child with a birth injury, I had to make the very difficult decision to file a medical malpractice claim. My son’s birth injury was entirely preventable, and led to a diagnosis that will affect him for the rest of his life. While the choice to file a birth injury claim […]
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The Truth About Medical Consent Forms
Medical consent forms are frequently signed by patients prior to undergoing medical or surgical treatment. However, the legal effect of the medical consent form is not well understood by many Canadians. It is a common misunderstanding that a medical consent form signed before medical or surgical treatment prevents an injured patient from claiming against healthcare […]
Did your Child Suffer a Birth Injury? What You Need to Know to Effectively Protect Your Child’s Rights
When a child suffers a birth injury, there really isn’t a guide that tells you exactly how to handle the different situations that arise. Parents are often overwhelmed with the challenges of parenting a newborn who may have significant medical needs. At the same time, they are dealing with their own emotions about what happened. […]
If I Ask Questions, Will My Child’s Medical Care Be Compromised?
One of the common fears we at BILA hear from families when they are contemplating bringing a legal claim for compensation for injuries to their child at birth, is whether pursuing a legal claim against doctors or nurses will compromise their child’s future medical care. Families may be particularly concerned if they live in a […]
I Am Already Overwhelmed – I Don’t Have Time to Deal with a Lawsuit
One of the biggest reasons why parents of children who have sustained birth injuries don’t reach out to lawyers is that most of them are overwhelmed with the day-to-day reality of caring for a child who has high medical needs. This is completely understandable, as facing both the emotional and practical challenges associated with parenting […]
I Don’t Want to Blame My Doctor – They Did Everything That They Could
After a child suffers a birth injury, parents often experience a number of conflicting emotions. They may feel guilt, anger, sorrow, and fear for their child’s future. They may also have conflicting feelings about pursuing litigation against the at-fault medical provider. During pregnancy, labour and delivery, parents often form a close bond with their doctor. […]
A Parent’s Guilt – Should I Have Said or Done Something Differently?
As a parent, one of our primary responsibilities is to protect our children. When our child is injured, we often blame ourselves – even if there was nothing that we could have done to prevent the injury. In birth injury cases, parents often believe that they could have said or done something differently. While these […]
Medical Literature in Birth Injury Cases: Real, Reliable, or Junk Science?
While birth injuries are relatively rare, when they happen to your child, the impact can be devastating. Many birth injuries can result in permanent disability and/or lifelong complications. When these birth injuries are caused by medical negligence, parents may be able to file a claim against the doctor or healthcare provider. A medical malpractice claim […]
Activities for Children with Disabilities in Canada
A non-profit organization known as ParticipACTION conducted a survey in 2018 based on the physical activity of Canada’s youth and the overall grade Canadian students received was a D+. The report card grade is a call to action for all young Canadians to get moving, and for the very first time, this report draws attention […]
How Does Cerebral Palsy Affect Social Development?
The creation and building of social relationships are one of many milestones that children affected by cerebral palsy may have difficulty in achieving. But how exactly does cerebral palsy affect social development, especially as children are learning how to walk, talk, and interact with others? Whether it is due to mobility, difficulties in communicating needs […]
Birth Injury Myths and Facts
Distinguishing the facts from the myths surrounding birth injuries can be an overwhelming and stressful endeavor for current and future parents alike. No parent enjoys thinking about the thought of something happening to their child—or remembering that something has happened to them—but understanding the facts (and your legal options) can be an immense aid for […]
Problems After Forceps Delivery for Mother & Baby
New Study Shows that 1 in 4 Forceps Deliveries Cause Trauma to Mothers and Babies A recently published study of over two million one-baby deliveries conducted by the Canadian Medical Association Journal has revealed that, between 2004 and 2014, the rate of birth injuries involving forceps delivery has sharply increased from a rate of 19.4 […]
Fort Nelson, B.C. Cannot Support Expecting Mothers
Insufficient Staffing Closes Maternity Services A November 28, 2017 memo from Airport Way Medical Clinic announced the permanent discontinuation of Maternity Services in Fort Nelson, British Columbia. The memo stated the reason being is that there is simply not enough staffing support to ensure safe obstetric care. Expecting mothers of Fort Nelson are now unable […]
Lucas Warren – The New Face of Gerber
2018 Gerber Baby Search With thousands of hopeful parents and babies seeking to be featured in Gerber ads each year, the Gerber Photo Search contest has captivated the nation every year since its 2010 conception. The 2017 search proved no different as parents submitted over 140,000 photos of their smiling babies, with the hope that […]
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR BABY WAS INJURED? FETAL HEART RATE PATTERNS
This is the third in a series of three articles about how medical experts determine when a newborn brain injury occurred. The first article in this series dealt with neuroimaging. The second discussed cord blood gas analysis. A newborn with signs of neurologic injury can suffer that injury any time during pregnancy, during labour and […]
