When Maternity Care Fails: Birth Injuries, Delayed Caesareans and CTG Errors

Giving birth is a wonder of nature, but it is not without risk. A World Health Organization (WHO) study published in 2025 showed that haemorrhage, mostly occurring during or following childbirth, is responsible for nearly 27% of maternal deaths worldwide. Preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders account for a further 16%.

Preeclampsia is a serious condition characterised by high blood pressure during pregnancy. If left untreated, or treated too late, it can lead to haemorrhage, stroke, organ failure and seizures, with potentially devastating consequences for both mother and baby.

In recent years, there has been increased focus on maternal care, particularly following the Morecambe Bay and Ockenden Reports. These reports highlighted systemic failures, including the continued use of outdated practices and an over-emphasis on minimal intervention during labour. Encouragingly, lessons are being learned, and there is growing recognition of the need for timely intervention where risks emerge.

A mother’s wishes should not be ignored. Individuals are entitled to make informed choices about how they wish to give birth. Some women may prefer a home birth; others may wish for a vaginal delivery in hospital or an elective caesarean section. It is the responsibility of clinicians to advise on the available options and to explain the risks and benefits associated with each.

Giving birth at home carries its own risks, particularly due to the lack of immediate access to advanced medical facilities, balanced against the mother’s desire to deliver in a familiar and comfortable environment.

Hospital births are not without risk either. During labour, complications may arise that require careful consideration of the method of delivery. Continuous monitoring of the foetal heart rate is essential to identify signs of foetal distress promptly. Cardiotocography (CTG) traces can sometimes produce false positive or false negative readings, which may lead to unnecessary intervention or, conversely, delayed action. As such, CTG traces must be interpreted carefully and in clinical context.

A pathological CTG should usually be identified within approximately 30 minutes of commencing monitoring. Once categorised, the decision to deliver should be made and acted upon within a further 30 minutes to minimise the risk of harm to the baby. Sadly, things can and do go wrong for a variety of reasons.

Brain injury may result from a chronic hypoxic insult, such as intermittent umbilical cord compression during uterine contractions, or from an acute total hypoxic insult, such as sudden foetal bradycardia. A total hypoxic insult of sufficient severity can cause irreversible brain injury after approximately 10 minutes. If it persists for 25 minutes or longer, survival is unlikely. Shorter periods of hypoxia can still cause significant injury, particularly to the deep grey matter structures, while longer episodes may result in widespread damage to the white matter, cortex and hippocampal formations.

It is vital that medical staff and consultants maintain a clear and continuous overview of events as they unfold. Dynamic risk assessments are essential and may change rapidly, over hours, minutes or even seconds. Mothers should be appropriately consented before any intervention takes place and should be supported to understand their situation as fully as possible. This can be challenging during obstetric emergencies, where events move quickly and recall can later be unreliable. For this reason, accurate and contemporaneous record-keeping is critically important.

Many claims faced by the NHS arise from substandard care. These often involve failures to deliver a baby sooner by caesarean section, inadequate consent for instrumental deliveries, leading to injury, or a failure to escalate concerns in the presence of abnormal CTG findings.

Listening to and monitoring mothers during labour is essential. Symptoms and warning signs must be recognised and acted upon promptly and appropriately. When this does not happen, the consequences can be devastating for both mother and baby. Where those outcomes lead to complaints or legal claims, the impact is felt not only by families but also by the NHS and the professionals involved, both financially and emotionally.

How Forbes Solicitors Can Help You

Our expert solicitors will discuss your clinical negligence claim with you and ascertain whether you have a viable claim and a strong chance of success. We offer services nationwide. We can offer consultations by telephone or video call, or in any of our branches across the UK.

If you have experienced an injury at work or need legal guidance, our team is here to help. For more information or to discuss your case, contact our Clinical Negligence division.