Welcoming a newborn into the world is a time of joy and celebration, but when an infant is born premature, those happy feelings can become clouded by worry and fear.
Preterm babies often require formula containing extra nutrition to help them grow, develop, and gain weight. However, recent studies have shown that some formula brands can cause infants to develop a potentially deadly digestive condition known as necrotizing enterocolitis.
Necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, affects about 1 in 1,000 premature infants.
If your child developed NEC or some other illness after consuming baby formula, contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers in Boston for a free legal consultation. Our attorneys are actively investigating toxic baby formula claims and can help you with a lawsuit against a baby formula manufacturer or other responsible parties.
Our baby formula attorneys have the knowledge and resources to take on deep-pocketed formula manufacturers and hold them accountable for their negligent conduct. Our law firm takes cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing until we recover money for you.
While monetary compensation will never be able to undo the damage that your child and family have suffered, it can help you lessen your financial burden and take care of the expenses that come with a serious medical condition.
Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers Can Help with a Toxic Baby Formula ClaimOur lawyers believe that products used in hospitals and sold on store shelves should be safe, especially when innocent infants use and depend on those products. By taking legal action against negligent formula manufacturers, we can prevent dangerous products from causing more harm and let the baby formula industry know that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.
In these types of lawsuits, two parties typically are held responsible: manufacturers who knew of the risks associated with their products and the medical practitioners who failed to mention the dangers of feeding premature babies bovine-based formulas. If your newborn was fed cow milk-based baby formula in the hospital, or the hospital gave you unsafe baby formula to take home, and your child was diagnosed with digestive health issues, you could have a valid medical malpractice claim.
A toxic baby formula attorney will look at the facts surrounding your case and explain your rights under the law.
Plaintiffs in these cases may be eligible to recover damages for:
A lawyer will help you build a case against all potentially liable parties and collect evidence to support your claims, such as:
Your attorney can also secure medical experts to help prove your case.
The Link Between Toxic Baby Formula and Necrotizing EnterocolitisWhen a child is born premature, medical professionals often recommend that they are fed baby formula. However, recent scientific studies show that some baby formulas—specifically those containing cow milk—are connected to an increased risk of NEC.
NEC is an intestinal disease that primarily impacts premature babies. Babies develop NEC when tissue in the small or large intestine becomes injured or inflamed. The injury can result in the death of intestinal tissue and cause a hole in the intestinal wall. As a result, bacteria can pass into the bloodstream and cause a life-threatening infection. Waste can pass into the abdomen and make the baby very sick. Newborns, especially very young ones, often lack a developed immune system to stave off the bacteria.
NEC can cause other health problems such as:
While NEC is an internal disease, parents can look for outward symptoms such as:
NEC is not only debilitating, but it can be deadly. The less a child weighs when diagnosed, the lower the survival rate. Babies under 3 pounds are especially at risk.
Infants with NEC may need surgery to repair intestine and abdomen damage. In addition, they are at risk of developing future health problems, including neurodevelopment issues and failure to grow. Even a minor case of NEC can cause long-term damage and significant digestive problems.
The good news is that medical treatments for NEC are effective. In most cases, babies who receive timely medical care recover fully without any lasting damage. Healthcare providers can diagnose NEC by performing blood tests, fecal tests, and X-rays.
If you think that your child has NEC, seek immediate medical treatment.
Brands of Baby Formula Connected to Necrotizing EnterocolitisResearchers have discovered that preterm babies risk developing NEC after feeding on certain cow milk-based baby formulas, including Enfamil- and Similac-brand formulas.
Mead Johnson manufactures Enfamil, and Abbott Laboratories Inc. manufactures Similac.
Some of the Enfamil and Similac formulas reportedly linked to NEC include:
Enfamil and Similac baby formulas are often used in hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Units and gifted to parents when they take their infants home from the hospital.
Other brands of formula that could pose a risk to your child are Earth's Best, Happy Baby, Go & Grow, Gerber, Parents Choice, Baby's Only, Louloka, Holle, Kendamil, Bobbie, and Lebenswert.
It is important to note that this is not a complete list. If your child developed NEC or some other health issue after consuming baby formula, contact a baby formula attorney to see if you have a viable claim against a formula manufacturer.
Currently, there are dozens of product liability lawsuits accusing Mead Johnson and Abbott Laboratories of failing to warn about the link between their products and NEC.
To learn more about how our product liability attorneys can help with a toxic baby formula claim, contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers today at (617) 777-7777 or using our online form.