Case Studies

Prolonged midwife birth leading to cerebral palsy



This video represents a real case. For privacy, the names of the people were changed and professional actors were used.

Jane and Mark’s story is based on a real case of birth trauma which resulted in their child being born with Cerebral Palsy.

Their son (Jack) was a big baby and Jane was booked in for a caesarean, however, the midwife insisted on a natural birth. Due to his size and the decision to proceed with a natural birth, there were problems with the birth and a doctor was finally called in. During the birth, Jack became stuck and could not receive oxygen. This lack of oxygen caused permanent damage to his brain.

The decision to go with the natural birth turned out to be the wrong one – which an ultrasound would have confirmed. The midwife was proven negligent as she did not follow the correct processes throughout the birth process, resulting in permanent damage to Jack.

Jane and Mark were successful in getting compensation for Jack’s birth trauma. The money will be used to support Jack’s ongoing care.