When a baby is born, its life is still very fragile. Experts with the World Health Organization (WHO) call those first 24 hours the most dangerous ones of their lives. On the world stage, around one million babies die annually in this short time span, experiencing just a single day of life before passing away.
Naturally, the risks are a bit lower in a country like the United States, with its modern childbirth facilities and medical advancements. For instance, about 2 million mothers worldwide had no one at all with them while giving birth. Another 40 million did not have trained medical professionals or midwives. While this does happen in the United States, it’s far less common, helping to reduce infant mortality rates.
However, the overall point from the WHO still stands: Those first 24 hours are the most important for a newborn baby to ameliorate the deadly risks to their young lives. It’s crucial to know what those risks are in order to better protect these babies.
Additionally, even with modern medical technology and the help of trained doctors, infants still pass away during that 24-hour span here in the U.S. In some cases, doctors make mistakes. In others, they miss clear warning signs. In still others, the birth itself goes well, but the follow-up care is lacking and the succumbs. There are many heartbreaking examples of how infants do not make it through their first day.
When this happens, parents often start to search for answers. What happened? What caused the death? Was it a medical mistake? If so, they need to know what legal options they have to seek redress.