Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Can I sue the hospital for giving an epidural without consent?
I recently had my baby and told the doctors I did not want an epidural. My labor was "not progressing" so they administered pitocin (sp?) when I was only dilated to a 2. My contractions started coming every 30 seconds. Then they sent in nurse after nurse after nurse to tell me I needed an epidural because it could take another 8 hours to dilate far enough to deliver and since I had the pitocin my contractions would keep coming like that so I wouldn't be able to push when the time came. So finally I agreed to an epidural. When the lady came in to give it to me I turned my head and said "no I don't want it. I change my mind. Don't give it to me." She put it in anyways. Immediately my baby's heart rate dropped, she stopped breathing and they rushed me in for an emergency c-section, in which I could still feel everything! So they had to knock me out. My baby had an adema in her motor skills area in her brain and had to stay on ice in the NICU for 9 days. They have told me she might have developmental delays but she seems to be fine now. And is progressing at a normal baby rate. But can I sue the hospital for 1) giving me the pitocin too early 2) giving me the epidural without consent and 3) basically bringing unnecessary harm to my child because they didn't want to allow my labor to progress at its natural pace?
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