Birth Injury Solicitors in Nottingham

Ways in which birth injuries can happen

Birth injury claims arise when medical care during pregnancy, labour, delivery or shortly after birth harms a baby or mother and does not meet the expected duty of care. These cases can be complex, and their impact is often long-lasting for the individuals and families involved. Our team supports a wide range of birth injury claims in Nottingham, including serious and life-changing cases.

Injuries affecting babies

For babies, this can include a range of conditions and injuries that may have a lasting impact, such as:

• Cerebral palsy
• Erb’s palsy
• Brain injuries caused by a lack of oxygen
• Spinal injuries
• Issues with vision or hearing linked to delayed treatment, including untreated jaundice

Some injuries occur during labour itself, often referred to as birth trauma, and can involve fractures, nerve damage or soft tissue injuries. In more serious cases, the impact can be far greater, and we also support families dealing with stillbirth, neonatal death and fatal birth injury claims.

Injuries affecting mothers

We also work with mothers who’ve experienced injuries during pregnancy or childbirth, particularly where there are concerns about the standard care they received. This can include:

• Damage to the pelvic area, bowel or bladder
• Complications following caesarean sections
• Severe perineal tears
• Conditions that were not properly diagnosed or treated, such as pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes

In some cases, complications such as a retained placenta can present serious risks if not identified and managed promptly, and part of our role is to consider whether the care provided met the expected standard.

How these injuries can happen

In most cases, the main issue is whether something was missed, delayed or not acted on by the healthcare provider in a timely manner. This can include concerns such as a lack of appropriate antenatal screening, a failure to recognise signs of fetal distress, delays in delivery leading to oxygen deprivation, or difficulties arising from the use of instruments such as forceps or ventouse.

There may also be issues with the management of conditions like shoulder dystocia, or failures to diagnose and treat conditions affecting newborn babies, including low blood sugar or jaundice.

Our role as your birth injury solicitors​ in Nottingham is to carefully investigate what happened, reviewing the medical records in detail and working with independent medical experts who can provide an objective view on whether the care provided fell below what should reasonably have been expected.

Why so many families choose to bring a claim

For many families, the decision to bring a claim comes after a period of trying to understand what went wrong and why. There may be unanswered questions about the care provided, whether warning signs were missed, or whether different decisions could have led to a different outcome. A claim can help address those questions and provide a clearer picture of what happened.

Where a birth injury has ongoing consequences, the impact is often felt in everyday life. Some children may require long-term therapy or specialist support, while others may need equipment or home adjustments to support mobility or development. For the parents, this can mean balancing care with work, finances and other responsibilities, often with very little preparation for how life has changed.

Birth injury compensation is designed to reflect those realities and to put the right support in place. Depending on the circumstances, this can include:

• Changes to your home to make it more accessible
• Access to private therapies or rehabilitation that may not be readily available
• Specialist equipment to support mobility, communication or daily care
• Moving to a property that better meets the needs of the child or family
• Ongoing care arrangements where support is needed over time

When you speak with a birth injury lawyer in Nottingham, the focus is on understanding what your situation looks like now and what may be needed in the future. That allows any claim to be built around practical needs, rather than a fixed idea of what compensation should be.

It’s also worth knowing that support doesn’t always come at the end of a case. In certain situations, interim payments can be secured partway through the claim to help cover immediate costs, like therapy, specialist equipment, or care. In more serious cases, compensation may be structured as a combination of a lump sum and ongoing annual payments, helping to make sure support continues as circumstances change over time.

Who can bring a birth injury claim?

If a child has been injured during pregnancy, labour or delivery, a claim can be brought on their behalf by a parent or legal guardian until their 18th birthday. This means you can take steps to look into what happened and start a claim at any point while your child is considered a minor.

If a claim isn’t made during childhood, your child still has the option to bring a claim themselves once they turn 18. In most cases, they will then have until their 21st birthday to begin legal proceedings. This is designed to give them time to fully understand their situation and decide whether they want to take things further, particularly where the longer-term impact of an injury may only become clearer as they grow older.

If the mother has suffered an injury, the time limits are different. In most cases, there is a three-year period to bring a claim. This usually starts from the date the injury occurred, or from the point at which it became clear that the injury may have been caused by negligent care, often referred to as the “date of knowledge”.

In cases where a baby has sadly passed away, the time limits are different. A claim will usually need to be brought within three years of the date of death. This can feel difficult to think about, especially at such a challenging time, but it’s important to be aware that these deadlines do apply.

Time limits for medical negligence claims can be confusing, and it is not always clear how they apply to your case. You do not have to decide right away. Sometimes, just talking things through can help you get the answers you need. One of our birth injury solicitors in Nottingham can explain your situation, inform you of any deadlines, and discuss your options if you decide you want to move forward with a claim.

Paying for a birth injury claim and what to expect

It’s normal to feel unsure about the cost of bringing a claim, particularly when a birth injury may already have led to changes in your day-to-day financial situation. Before anything moves forward, we’ll take the time to explain how funding works and the options available to you.

Depending on the circumstances, we can look at no win, no fee arrangements where appropriate. We will make sure you have a clear understanding of the financial situation from the outset, so you can decide whether you are comfortable proceeding.

The claims process itself can take time, as it often involves reviewing medical records and obtaining independent expert opinions. Throughout this, we will manage the legal work on your behalf and keep you informed as things progress, so you’re not left wondering what’s happening or what comes next.

There’s no single way clients choose to approach a claim. Some clients prefer to step back and have us handle matters for them, while others want to stay closely involved as the case develops. We will work around what feels right for you, making sure you feel supported and able to approach the process in a way that suits your situation.

Why choose Nelsons for birth injury claims in Nottingham?

After a birth injury, it’s important that you feel confident in the team that supports you. Our medical negligence team has experience handling complex claims involving both babies and mothers, and we approach each case with care and attention to the circumstances involved. We’re recognised for our work in this area and are members of organisations including The Law Society, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), Headway and The Foundation for Infant Loss Training. Our work and medical negligence team is also highly regarded by The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.

Our birth injury solicitors in Nottingham are based at Pennine House on Stanford Street, in the city centre. From here, we’ve been supporting individuals and families across Nottingham and the surrounding areas for years. Our office is easily accessible by car and public transport, and has plenty of parking options nearby.

If you’d like to talk things through, you can speak to a birth injury lawyer in Nottingham by giving us a call on 0800 024 1976 or completing our online enquiry form. We’ll listen to your situation and help you figure out what the next steps could look like.