Perineal Tears: A Commonly Ignored Chicago Birth Injury

Giving birth to a child is one of the greatest joys in a woman’s life. The sheer excitement and pleasure of having a new baby in the family overshadows the discomforts that may come with pregnancy. The mother overcomes the trauma of labor pains when she holds the child in her arms. However, there are certain injuries that can make the mother’s post-delivery recovery slower, and mar the joys that come with becoming a mother.

When we talk about birth injuries, we often focus on injuries suffered by newborns, because the emphasis is usually on the baby, and not on the mother. However, the reality is that the mother is equally at risk of suffering injuries during labor and delivery. Many mother experience injuries, some of which are serious enough to require further treatment and often involve a long recovery period.

According to the available statistics, 85 percent of women who elect to deliver the babies vaginally experience some sort of injury to the perineal area, the area between the vulva and the anus. Of the women who suffer this trauma, 60-70 percent require stitches to join the tears in the area. Sometimes, the tear is severe or is left undiagnosed. In such cases, the mother may suffer for months or even years. It is important for mothers to be aware of these types of injuries, and their symptoms and risk factors.

Symptoms of perineal tears

It is normal for women to experience problems such as pain and incontinence in the first few weeks after the delivery, but these problems should not persist in the long term. If the women experiences persistent incontinence of feces, urine or flatus, it may be a sign that she has suffered a birth injury. It may indicate that the post-delivery stitching was not done properly, or that the pelvic floor muscles were damaged during the delivery process.

Risks factors for perineal tears

There are some characteristics present in labor that can lead to the development of perineal tears. These include prolonged labor, previous tears, and deliveries that require vacuum extraction or forceps. When medical providers notice these risk factors, it becomes their duty to take the preventive measures to limit the impact to the area and to take steps to reduce the severity of the tears.

While many mothers may think of perineal tears as unavoidable and a normal occurrence, this is not always the case. This type of birth injury can have serious long term effects on sexual intercourse, incontinence, and emotional health. If you think your delivery was not handled properly, that your perineal tears were not managed well, and you are suffering long term consequences as a result, you may have a claim. Make sure you discuss your case with a qualified Willens medical malpractice law firm to determine if you have claim.