Healthcare providers and parents of newborn babies always seek to help the children retain optimum health conditions. This is especially the case where the child is born prematurely, as their bodies need time to undergo full development. During the intensive care period, most preterm babies will receive nutrients through baby formula milk as they are unable to breastfeed. Usually, the baby formula products should be high quality, as any defects may expose the babies to severe health risks like Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). Thus, if your child suffers from the condition after consuming baby formula milk, you want to hold the manufacturers accountable. You can do this by partnering with a mass tort lawsuit expert for guidance. At Consumer Alert Now, you will partner with some of the best legal experts who work to help you seek compensation for the harm caused to your child.
Understanding Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Its Effects
When a doctor diagnoses a patient with Necrotizing Enterocolitis, it means that their digestive tract is severely inflamed, resulting in several potential complications. NEC typically affects the ileum (small intestines) colon (large intestines) by causing tissue deterioration. Therefore, once the tissue surrounding these organs dies, they cannot perform their functions as expected, resulting in recurrent digestive problems.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis occurs from various causes, including a rapid bacterial spread in the digestive tract. Consequently, the disease-causing microbes are responsible for causing the tissue to degenerate, as they often feed on the healthy cells to reproduce.
Since the most affected tissue surrounds the stomach, ileum, and colon, Hydrochloric Acid and enzymes from the stomach may leak into the neighboring organs. Subsequently, severe damage to the small intestines will also occur and limit its functions.
Additionally, the tissue degeneration causes deep wounds that may take time to heal, resulting in multiple scars. The patient will be in constant pain as the gut is exposed to extreme conditions. Further, their ability to feed and retain the food is compromised, jeopardizing their immunity.
The situation is worse if the patient is a preterm baby because they cannot develop normally. Thus, they may have to live with long-term medical complications stemming from severe Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
It is also noteworthy that the open wounds will encourage additional bacterial growth in the gut, leading to a more severe infection called Perontosis. The condition mainly affects the small intestines and limits the ability to reabsorb food into the bloodstream.
Symptoms of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Sometimes, tracking a developing condition may be difficult because you may be unaware of the symptoms to look out for. The case is even more challenging in young babies, as they do not exhibit all signs as an adult would. Thus, you want to pay attention and work with a medical professional in case of the following symptoms in your child:
Yellow or Green Vomit
An indicator of a distressed gut is yellow or green vomit, indicating a high bile percentage. This could result from the body trying to rid itself of the harmful bacteria. Alternatively, the symptom may indicate digestion difficulties, mainly if your child receives contaminated baby formula milk.
Weight Loss or Slow Weight Gain
Additionally, Necrotizing Enterocolitis is detected by your child’s ability to gain weight, especially where they are constantly fed. The expected result would be that they naturally gain weight with more consistent feeding patterns, especially if they are receptive to the feeding options.
Thus, weight loss or stagnated weight may indicate the body’s inability to absorb nutrients due to Necrotizing Enterocolitis. If so, a medical professional should conduct tests for a conclusive diagnosis.
Blood in Stool
Further, your child’s stool can disclose whether their digestive tract is under distress stemming from Necrotizing Enterocolitis. Since the colon, small intestines, and stomach tissues may be severely injured, they may bleed into the rectum, where waste is collected for release. As a result, the stool released contains blood, indicating a severe Necrotizing Enterocolitis infection.
Swelling and Pain in the Stomach
You will also recognize NEC if there is visible swelling around the child’s stomach, coupled with constant crying and signs of discomfort. The primary cause of these symptoms is pain from Necrotizing Enterocolitis that results in extreme swelling in the digestive tract. If left untreated for long, the symptoms may result in additional problems that include fatalities.
Why Preterm Babies are at a Higher Risk of Developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis
As discussed, Necrotizing Enterocolitis develops mainly from accumulated bacteria in the digestive tract. This may occur because the patient’s immunity system is weaker than usual, as is common in prematurely born babies.
Moreover, the child’s weight is likely below the required standard, so their organs will also be underdeveloped. Consequently, the preterm baby cannot breastfeed as usual because they may need to remain in their incubator throughout. As a result, the pediatric doctor overseeing care may recommend feeding the baby through a tube to sustain their nutritional needs. Typically, this means that the baby depends on baby formula as the main food source.
While the option has been viable in the past, reports indicate a growing rate of Necrotizing Enterocolitis cases among babies fed baby formula products. This is especially the case after they receive baby formula milk from Mead Johnson & Company and Abbott Labs.
Studies conducted on the two companies revealed that their products contain bovine milk, a component that preterm babies cannot hold or digest in the gut. Due to this, the baby formula milk may remain undigested and in the system for long, leading to increased chances of developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
The specific baby formula products linked to the condition are:
- Enfamil Human Milk Fortifier from Mead Johnson
- EnfaCare Infant Formula from Mead Johnson
- Similac from Abbott Laboratories
How to Seek Legal Redress from the Liable Manufacturing Companies
If you believe that you have compelling facts to file a case against Abbott labs or Mead Johnson & Company, you can approach a legal expert. Their input will be valuable in your quest for legal redress, as they will help you satisfy various court requirements and other case expectations.
Upon consulting the legal expert, you want to disclose all relevant facts leading up to your child developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis. An excellent starting point is providing details on your child’s condition before feeding on the harmful baby formula products versus after they started using the products. This provides a good perspective on how the complications began and whether the manufacturing companies have a case to answer to.
Typically, babies will have a normal digestive tract with minimal issues when breastfeeding. However, if the baby is too weak to breastfeed, the onset of baby formula diets will be almost immediately after birth, so you may lack a point of comparison. Nevertheless, you can issue a qualified doctor’s prognosis on the likelihood that the baby formula products triggered Necrotizing Enterocolitis in your child.
On top of providing the details, you also want to present different evidential sources as guided by the legal expert. They will often ask for the child’s medical reports as the doctor forms a diagnosis. The information can also include the findings on any tests conducted to prove that the baby formula products played a role in triggering Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
Witness statements can also form an integral part of the evidence in your case, especially your account of the baby’s health deterioration. If you closely monitor the preterm child’s medical file, you will understand the complications arising from Necrotizing Enterocolitis. In return, you are better positioned to provide vital details that help show the negligence and liability of the manufacturing companies.
The legal expert handling your case will also advise you on the benefits of joining a mass tort lawsuit when seeking compensation from the respondents. Among them is that your case is prioritized because it involves multiple complainants. Moreover, the lawsuit often draws attention to helpful third parties like media outlets, which helps raise awareness of your plight.
Nonetheless, you will need to satisfy various requirements before joining the mass tort lawsuit. For example, your case facts should match those issued by other aggrieved parties to promote uniformity in court. Secondly, you should ensure that the manufacturer’s liability is derived clearly from your account of events, to entitle you to seek compensation.
The legal expert assigned to you will also help you obtain a certificate to verify your entitlement to join the mass tort suit, as the court will check for it before the case begins. Upon meeting these requirements, you will then prepare for court proceedings, where your matter is heard to a conclusion. If the judge decides the case in your favor, you can expect to receive monetary compensation proportional to the harm your child suffered.
Find a Defective Products Legal Expert Near Me
The aftermath of having your child develop Necrotizing Enterocolitis can be stressful to handle, especially when the condition causes severe and lasting effects. Subsequently, you will need to work with a legal expert to help you receive compensation for the child’s medical risks. With Consumer Alert Now, you have access to some of the best legal experts specializing in defective products and mass tort lawsuits. We help persons whose children were negatively affected by harmful baby formula products seek legal action nationwide. For more information on how to join a mass tort lawsuit, call us at 800-511-0747.
