It is well-recognized that after a woman has a caesarean section, later attempts at delivering via vaginal birth carry a much higher risk of uterine rupture. Uterine rupture is a devastating complication which places the mother's life and/or ability to have children later at risk and places the baby at risk of dying or suffering severe brain damage and other severe and permanent injuries. When a mother suffers uterine rupture during vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC), there may be a basis for a medical malpractice case:
Failure to obtain informed consent: the mother must be fully advised of the risks of VBAC to both her health and the health of her child;
Failure to adequately the delivery: uterine rupture often follows ominous signs in the fetal monitoring strips. These must be closely monitored for fetal distress and signs of impending rupture;
Failure to convert birth to caesarean section;
Failure to control the labor: medications can be used to control contractions which place the mother at risk and to give the delivery staff time to perform a caesarean section in time to save the life and health of mother and child.
