Questions?What Causes Wrongful Death in an Infant?
Infant wrongful death causes often involve serious medical errors that take place around the time a baby is born. For many families, that can mean doctors, midwives, or nurses missed warning signs, delayed treatment, or failed to act during an emergency.
Some common causes of infant wrongful death include:
- Bleeding in the baby’s brain or body that was missed or not treated
- Delaying a medically necessary C-section
- Infection that was missed or not treated in time
- Loss of oxygen during labor or delivery (asphyxia)
- Medication mistakes, like giving a newborn too much pain medicine
- Missing signs that the baby was in distress
- Not treating breathing problems after birth
In some cases, more than one cause of death may be involved. A baby may need urgent delivery, emergency treatment, or close monitoring after birth, and a delay in care can turn a survivable problem into a fatal one.
The Birth Injury Justice Center helps families move forward after birth injuries and the tragic loss of a child. Our nationwide network of birth injury attorneys can help, no matter where you live.
Our partners have recovered over $1.1 billion in birth injury compensation, including wrongful death, and we’re standing by to help. Take the first steps right now with a free case review.
Risk Factors for Infant Death
A risk factor is something that raises the chances of a serious complication happening. Complications don’t automatically mean medical negligence occurred. However, when these risks are present, doctors and hospitals are expected to monitor both mother and baby carefully and respond quickly. Learn about common risk factors for infant death below.
Fetal Distress
This means a baby may not be tolerating labor well. Fetal distress is often seen through abnormal heart rate patterns, decreased movement, or warning signs that the baby may not be getting enough oxygen.
When those warning signs are missed or not addressed quickly, fetal distress can lead to oxygen loss, brain injury, or even infant wrongful death.
“If the NICU team was called to the birth, that’s something parents may want to keep in the back of their mind. It can be a sign that something was not right.”
– Beth Carter, RN, On-Staff Legal Nurse Consultant Certified
Maternal Health Conditions
Some maternal health conditions can make pregnancy and delivery more dangerous for a baby.
The most common issues include:
- Diabetes: Raises the risk of delivery complications and other serious problems
- Infection in the mother: Spreads to the baby or triggers dangerous complications before or after birth
- Preeclampsia: Reduces blood flow to the baby and may require urgent delivery
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure: Affects the placenta and reduces oxygen and nutrients to the baby
These conditions do not always lead to tragedy, but they should be watched closely.
Placental Problems
The placenta plays a critical role in delivering oxygen and nutrients to a baby during pregnancy. Problems such as placental abruption (detaches from the uterus) or poor blood flow can reduce that supply and put the baby in danger.
In some cases, placental problems require urgent delivery or other immediate medical intervention to prevent a baby’s death. Its vital role makes placental risk factors one of the leading causes of death for infants.
Premature Birth
Premature babies are more vulnerable than full-term babies. They may have underdeveloped lungs, a higher risk of infection, and a greater chance of bleeding in the brain or other serious complications.
That is why premature infants often need close monitoring and specialized newborn care. Delayed or poor medical care can become one of the causes of death in infants.
Umbilical Cord Complications
Problems with the umbilical cord can quickly become life-threatening if they cut off or reduce blood flow to the baby.
Infant wrongful death causes involving cord complications include:
- Cord compression: Pressure on the cord reducing the baby’s oxygen supply
- Cord entanglement: Becomes wrapped around the baby and may tighten during labor
- Cord prolapse: Cord slips out before the baby and can be squeezed during delivery
In these situations, fast medical action is critical. Delay in recognizing the problem or delivering the baby is one of the leading causes of infant death.
Even if you had any of these risk factors, delivery teams are trained to respond in emergencies. If you think your baby’s death could have been avoided, you probably have a lot of unanswered questions.
Talk with one of our experienced labor and delivery nurses now — they’re here to help you make sense of what happened.
Beth has more than 18 years of specialized experience in labor and delivery. She’s available to hear your story and help you figure out the cause of your child’s injury — and what you can do next.
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Call or chat with a caring, experienced nurse right now — we’re standing by to get you help and answers.
Medical Malpractice and Infant Wrongful Death Causes
Some infant wrongful death causes involve medical negligence by delivery teams. When serious warning signs are missed or the wrong care is given, a baby may not survive.
For example, doctors who miss active herpes infections and deliver a baby vaginally can cause the baby to become infected. This can lead to herpes simplex encephalitis, which can cause brain damage and even death.
- Delayed C-section: The baby needed to be delivered quickly, but the team did not act in time.
- Failure to respond to fetal distress: Warning signs showed the baby was not doing well, but providers did not step in fast enough.
- Forceps and vacuum extractor mistakes: Assisted delivery tools that caused serious harm when used improperly.
- Loss of oxygen during labor or delivery: A problem caused a cut-off of oxygen to the baby, and providers did not act quickly enough to prevent harm.
- Medication errors: The mother was given the wrong drug or the wrong dose. This may include anesthesia mistakes or misuse of labor drugs.
- Hemorrhage: Serious bleeding in the baby that was not recognized or treated in time.
When mistakes like these lead to a baby’s death, an infant wrongful death lawyer can help families seek accountability.
Get Help Filing Your Infant Wrongful Death Claim
Understanding infant wrongful death causes may help your family take the next step if medical negligence may have played a role. In some cases, an infant wrongful death lawsuit may help families get the answers they need after a tragic and preventable loss.
An experienced wrongful death attorney helps grieving families pursue justice. They can seek financial compensation for medical expenses and pain and suffering.
“Parents should contact a birth injury lawyer as soon as they suspect something went wrong during pregnancy, labor, or delivery.”
– Ricky LeBlanc, Birth Injury Lawyer at Sokolove Law
The Birth Injury Justice Center partners with leading personal injury attorneys who can help in all 50 states. As of 2026, our legal partners have secured over $1.1 billion for families affected by birth trauma, including infant wrongful death cases.
Call us right now at (800) 914-1562 or fill out our free consultation form to take the first steps toward justice.
Infant Wrongful Death Causes FAQs
One of the most common infant wrongful death causes is a lack of oxygen during labor or delivery. This can happen when doctors do not respond to fetal distress, delayed delivery, or other serious birth complications in time.
If you believe your child’s death may have been preventable, we’re here to help. Get a free case review right now to find out your legal options.
Oxygen deprivation can play a major role in infant deaths by cutting off the baby’s oxygen supply to the brain and organs, especially during labor and delivery. When this happens, it can quickly lead to severe brain injury or organ failure.
Yes, you may be able to sue a hospital if your baby dies and the loss was caused by a preventable medical mistake.
Infant wrongful death causes usually involve failures like delayed delivery, missed warning signs, or not treating a serious condition in time. Legal claims show that the medical team’s actions fell below the standard of care and directly caused a child to die.
If you believe your baby’s death may have been preventable, we’re here to help. Call us at (800) 914-1562 or Click to Live Chat right now to take the first steps toward justice.
No. The loss of a newborn is only considered a wrongful death if it was caused by a preventable medical mistake.
Sadly, some babies die even when the medical team does everything right. However, other infant wrongful death causes may be linked to delays, missed warning signs, or failure to treat a serious condition in time.
If you believe your baby’s death may have been preventable, an experienced birth injury lawyer can review what happened and determine the cause.
Infant death syndrome is a condition also known as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The term applies when a child under one year of age dies, and a thorough review finds no cause.
