Getting Legal Help with a New York Folic Acid Disorder Case
Proper prenatal care is essential during pregnancy because deficiencies can be harmful for the baby. When New York doctors fail to monitor a mother’s pregnancy and do not prescribe necessary vitamins and care, courts can deem them liable in medical malpractice cases. At Rich & Rich, P.C., our New York City lawyers can help you determine whether folic acid disorder led to birth injury and explain your rights to legal action.
What is folic acid disorder?
Folic acid is a type of B vitamin contained in green plants, fresh fruit, beans, peas, lentils, poultry, liver, yeast and other foods. This vitamin is vital in a fetus's proper development and a folic acid disorder is a folic acid deficiency in the mother that causes the same deficiency in the fetus.
Prenatal care to prevent folic acid disorder
According to the Mayo Clinic, most pregnant mothers should take a minimum of 400 micrograms of folic acid daily and especially during their first trimester of pregnancy. Doctors recommend that women planning a pregnancy start taking folic acid. High dosages (up to 4,000 micrograms) may be necessary for mothers with diabetes who take anti-seizure medications or for mothers who previously gave birth to a baby with spina bifida.
What is spina bifida?
Spina bifida is a spinal birth defect where the baby is born with an opening in the back that exposes the spine. During normal fetal development, the neural tube, which later becomes the spine, closes around the 28th day. With spina bifida, the neural tube only partially closes or does not close at all. Spina bifida can lead to paralysis of the area below the defect along with poor bladder control and bowel function. In severe cases, it causes stillbirths or deaths shortly after birth.
What birth injury can result from folic acid disorders?
In addition to babies being born with spina bifida, folic acid disorders can also cause brain damage in babies due to a partially formed brain and because of fluid accumulation in the brain. It can also lead to heart defects, as well as cleft lips and palates along with premature births and miscarriages.
Get legal help with medical malpractice
Doctors are responsible for informing mothers about proper prenatal care. When they fail to do so and it results in serious birth defects or a stillbirth, consult with a lawyer about pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit. A stillbirth may be subject to a wrongful death action based on the mother’s emotional injury from losing the baby.
Our New York City lawyers at Rich & Rich, P.C. have more than 45 years of combined legal experience and offer a free consultation to discuss your concerns about injury resulting from folic acid disorder.