Birth Injury
Injuries to a mother or baby during pregnancy, labour or delivery are among the most serious and sensitive matters in Irish healthcare. Where questions exist about monitoring, decision-making or the management of complications, families deserve clear, compassionate and independent answers. Special time-limit rules apply to children.
Time Limits
In most cases, proceedings must be commenced within two years from the date of the negligence or the date you first became aware of it. Acting early protects your position.
How We Can Help
A regulated Irish solicitor can review what happened in a confidential consultation, help you obtain your medical records, and give you a realistic preliminary view before you make any decision. Learn more about our medical negligence service or book a confidential video consultation (15 minutes, fixed fee).
How an Assessment Works
Concerns about care during pregnancy, labour or delivery are assessed in stages. First, we obtain and review maternity records, CTG traces and neonatal notes. A regulated Irish solicitor then considers whether the care provided may have fallen below the accepted standard, and whether that caused identifiable harm. Where the records justify it, the next step is an opinion from an independent medical expert — no conclusions are reached without one.
What You Will Need
You do not need anything to get started beyond your own account of what happened and roughly when. We can request the medical records on your behalf — you have a legal right of access to them. Keeping a short written timeline of events, appointments and conversations is genuinely helpful.
Common Questions
How long do I have? In most cases, two years from the date of the events or the date you first had knowledge of them. Different rules can apply to children and to persons lacking capacity, so it is wise to check your own position early.
What does it cost to find out where I stand? Our first steps are fixed-fee: a confidential consultation, a records request and review, and a written preliminary assessment. If a matter proceeds beyond that, the engagement and fee basis are agreed with you in writing before any further work begins.
Will I have to go to court? Many matters resolve without a court hearing. No proceedings are ever issued without your instructions and a supporting expert opinion.