ABSTRACT

In recent years there has been an increase in legal claims relating to birth trauma cases. Compensation for such claims, where, for example, a child suffers cerebral palsy as result of hypoxia because of a delayed delivery, can be as much as 3 million to 5 million euros. Common problems encountered by midwives include, for instance, issues of consent, such as when the patient does not want a midwife present at the birth. If a child is injured as a result of harm caused in utero, once they are born, a child has the right to claim compensation from the person who caused the injury. The midwife was working full-time on mostly night duty in the hospital. On the particular night duty concerned a patient was admitted for post-maturity induction. The second midwife described that the patient was at that point very pale, sleepy and still sitting in a pool of blood.