Catherine O'Hanlon, Partner - Disputes Resolution
Giving birth is one of life’s most amazing things but can also be a terrifying prospect, but the end product of childbirth, when you hold your baby in your arms, makes up for all the pain and worry.
9 out of 10 women will suffer from some sort of tear during childbirth, but almost 6% have a severe tear during childbirth and this can have serious implications for them.
Tears during childbirth are graded according to their seriousness. They are:
Nearly 10% of women have a third or fourth degree tear during childbirth and these can impact significantly on their lives post childbirth.
However, there are some pointers to indicate if you are likely to have a serious tear during childbirth and it is up to your midwifery team to identify these risks and advise you of them. They can then make recommendations to try to avoid a serious tear. These are:
All of these situations make a serious tear more likely and whilst many of them are not obvious until the time of birth, there should be more of an awareness by your midwife of the risks.
If you are have suffered a serious tear in childbirth, you could qualify for compensation if your care was not up to standard.
For more information about this article or any aspect of our personal injury solutions, please call Catherine O’Hanlon on +44 (0) 28 9077 4500
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