The medical name for a vaginal delivery subsequent to a previous C-section is VBAC. VBAC women are known have a greater chance of a ruptured uterus during labor. An unborn child obtains oxygen through the placenta. A ruptured uterus might thus bring about a serious decrease in the amount of oxygen that gets to the unborn baby. In case this happens for an extended interval of time the unborn child will sustain brain damage and be left with major irreversible disabilities.

Look at a reported lawsuit involving an expectant mother who went to the hospital for a planned natural delivery of her child. She had a C-section in a previous pregnancy. Still, the nurse administered a drug widely used to induce labor. The application of this medication , however, should be diligently monitored since it can lead to hyperstimulation of the uterus and become a major problem notably at greater dosages. The nurse did not tell the attending physician that the pregnant woman's contractions became irregular Instead, even though the contractions increased to obviously dangerous levels, she kept using additional amounts the drug.

The woman experienced a uterine rupture. The unborn child was in fetal distress. The child was deprived of oxygen for 18-20 minutes as a result of which he suffered a brain injury. He has severe cerebral palsy. He is unable to walk or to talk. He is unable to hold anything in his hands. He is unable to eat on his own and requires a feeding tube. He can, however, identify members of his family and is alert. But he will require 24/7 life assistance. The law firm that represented the child and his parents published that at trial the jury returned an award of $31,000,000 with included $26,000,000 to pay for the cost of the child’s future medical care.

As this case demonstrates nurses and hospital staff need to be able to recognize if complications arise during a pregnancy, need to know and understand the effects and danger signs of the medications they administer, and let the doctor in charge know of any symptoms that indicate there is a problem happening. Whether caused by a deficiency of training, inexperience, overwork, or communication breakdowns, a failure in any (or as in this case all) of these areas can result in devastating injuries to the baby. If this takes place the family might be able to bring a case for malpractice. As this matter additionally shows - such lawsuits, as a consequence of the nature and degree of the injury to the baby, can lead to a considerable recovery.