Houston Birth Injury Lawyers
If your child suffered a serious injury during labor or delivery, the medical records may help explain what happened and whether further investigation is warranted. Thomas & Wan reviews fetal monitoring, delivery timing, and other evidence to determine whether medical negligence may have contributed.
- 60+ Years Combined Experience
- Direct Partner Access
- Medical Malpractice Focus
- No Fee Unless We Recover
Have Your Child's Birth Injury Case Reviewed
Free & confidential case review. No obligation. No fee unless we recover.
Was your baby harmed during labor or delivery?
Every parent walks into the delivery room expecting to bring home a healthy baby. When something goes wrong — warning signs missed, delivery delayed, a newborn who didn't get the care they needed — your family deserves answers, and someone in your corner who knows how to get them.
Linda Laurent Thomas and Michelle W. Wan have spent decades holding Texas hospitals and providers accountable for preventable birth injuries — and they handle these cases personally. Tell us what happened. The review is free and confidential, and you'll get a straight answer.
When a Birth Injury May Warrant Investigation
Each of these is a reason to review the records — not proof of negligence.
- Concerning fetal-heart-rate patterns were documented
- Staff delayed notifying the physician
- An emergency C-section was discussed but not performed promptly
- The baby required extensive resuscitation
- Cord-blood testing showed significant acidemia
- The baby developed seizures or was diagnosed with HIE
- Cooling therapy was initiated or a transfer for cooling was delayed
- Explanations from the care team changed or remained unclear
If any of these sound familiar, call (713) 529-1177 for a free review of the records.
Serious Birth-Injury Cases We Investigate
Oxygen deprivation and newborn brain injury
When a baby's brain is deprived of oxygen during labor, the injury can be permanent. These are the cases at the center of our practice.
Monitoring and delivery delays
The monitor shows distress — the question is whether the team recognized it, escalated it, and delivered in time.
Placental, cord, and infection emergencies
Obstetric emergencies that demand immediate recognition and response.
Pregnancy management and newborn stabilization
Failures in managing maternal conditions before delivery, or in stabilizing the newborn after it.
What the Records May Show
Medical records are central to evaluating a birth-injury case because they help reconstruct what clinicians knew, when they knew it, and how they responded. Thomas & Wan can help identify and obtain the relevant records.
- 1Fetal monitoring
- 2Communication & escalation
- 3Intervention
- 4Delivery
- 5Newborn assessment
- 6NICU treatment
Fetal heart monitor strips
When distress started — and how long it went unanswered.
What the monitor strips can show →Cord blood gases
Evidence of the newborn's acid-base status around delivery that may help qualified experts evaluate possible oxygen deprivation.
Labor & delivery notes
What the team saw, and when they acted.
Cooling therapy records
Whether an eligible newborn was evaluated for therapeutic hypothermia and whether treatment began within the evidence-supported window.
Apgar & NICU records
Your baby's condition in the first minutes and days.
Hospital policies
What the hospital's own rules required that night.
How We Determine Whether Medical Negligence Played a Role
A serious birth injury does not explain by itself why the injury happened. The medical records and qualified expert review help distinguish an unavoidable complication from care that may have fallen below accepted standards.
A known medical complication
Some complications can occur during labor or delivery even when the medical team provides appropriate monitoring and treatment.
An injury despite appropriate care
A serious outcome may occur even when warning signs were recognized and the care team responded appropriately.
A potential departure from accepted care
Further investigation may be warranted when the records show that concerning findings were not recognized, communicated, or addressed in a timely manner.
Evidence that may support a malpractice claim
A claim may be supported when qualified experts determine that the care fell below accepted standards and that the failure caused or contributed to the child's injury.
The purpose of a records review is to determine which of these circumstances the evidence supports — not to reach a conclusion based on the diagnosis or outcome alone.
One more distinction: genetic and developmental conditions — Down syndrome, cleft palate, congenital heart conditions — are birth defects, not birth injuries, and are generally not malpractice.
Relevant Thomas & Wan Results
Failure to Recognize Fetal Distress Caused Severe Brain Damage
- What happened
- Labor-and-delivery nurses failed to recognize and respond to clear signs of fetal distress during labor.
- What the records showed
- The fetal monitoring strips demonstrated repeated late decelerations, prolonged decelerations, absent variability, and other classic warning signs of oxygen deprivation for hours before delivery.
- Why the timing mattered
- By the time an emergency C-section was finally performed, the baby had suffered profound oxygen deprivation and was born without a heartbeat. He was later diagnosed with severe HIE, cerebral palsy, and permanent brain damage.
- Resolution
- Settlement — compensation to help provide for lifelong care, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term financial security for the child and his family.
Failure to Recognize Fetal Distress
- What happened
- Labor-and-delivery providers failed to recognize and respond to a deteriorating fetal heart tracing during labor.
- What the records showed
- Prolonged decelerations, minimal variability, and other clear signs of fetal distress were repeatedly missed or ignored.
- Why the timing mattered
- The delay pushed back the emergency delivery that could have prevented permanent brain injury. The delayed C-section led to severe HIE, cerebral palsy, and lifelong disability.
- Resolution
- Settlement — compensation for lifelong medical care, therapy, nursing support, adaptive equipment, home modifications, and long-term financial security.
Financial Security for Life
- What happened
- Our clients went to the hospital expecting a healthy delivery. During labor, warning signs on the fetal heart monitor showed their baby was not getting enough oxygen.
- What the records showed
- The warning signs continued on the monitor, but delivery was delayed.
- Why the timing mattered
- The firm's investigation showed that earlier recognition of fetal distress and timely delivery could have prevented the injury. The baby needed resuscitation, developed seizures shortly after birth, and was diagnosed with severe HIE.
- Resolution
- Settlement — financial support, medical care, therapy, and resources for our client for the rest of his life.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own medical evidence and legal circumstances.
How Thomas & Wan Reviews a Birth-Injury Case
We listen and identify the medical timeline
Free and confidential. Tell us what happened — you don't need medical terminology or records in hand.
We obtain and review the records with qualified experts
Monitor strips, cord gases, delivery charts, NICU records. Obstetricians and neonatologists evaluate whether the standard of care was met. Thomas & Wan can help identify and obtain the relevant records — though it helps to preserve any discharge papers, portal records, photographs, or notes already in your possession.
We explain what the evidence supports
If the records support a claim, we take it — no fee unless we win. If they don't, we tell you straight. A free review does not promise case acceptance.
Why Thomas & Wan
- A practice concentrated on medical malpractice
- 60+ years of combined experience
- A women-owned firm
- Experience investigating medically complex birth-injury cases
- Verified fetal-distress and HIE case results
- Contingency-fee representation — no fee unless we recover
Google Reviews
General client reviews of the firm, posted publicly on Google.
"Working with Linda and Michelle was my best decision in years. They worked on my case for nearly 18 months… and did everything they could to win our case."
"I'm so grateful for Linda & Michelle for quickly resolving my case… The firm responded immediately."
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know whether my child's birth injury may have involved negligence?
You usually can't tell from the outcome alone — the answer is in the medical records. Circumstances worth a records review include documented fetal-heart-rate concerns, delays in escalation or delivery, extensive resuscitation, cooling therapy, significant cord-blood acidemia, or explanations from the care team that changed or stayed unclear. A free review with qualified medical experts is how that question gets answered.
What records are important in a birth-injury investigation?
The complete fetal-monitor tracing, nursing flowsheets and communications, physician orders, medication-administration records, operative and delivery notes, cord-blood gas results, Apgar and resuscitation records, NICU records, EEG and imaging reports, and the hospital's own monitoring and escalation policies. Together they reconstruct what clinicians knew, when they knew it, and what they did.
Can delayed delivery or a delayed C-section cause HIE?
An unreasonable delay in delivery may contribute to HIE when the fetus is experiencing a significant interruption in oxygen and blood flow. Whether a delay caused the injury depends on the tracing, the labor timeline, the reason for the delay, cord-blood results, newborn condition, imaging, and expert medical analysis.
Does an abnormal fetal-heart-rate tracing prove malpractice?
No. Some concerning patterns resolve, some require additional observation or intervention, and some occur despite appropriate care. A malpractice claim generally requires evidence that the care fell below the applicable standard and that the failure caused or contributed to the injury — an analysis that requires qualified experts and the complete labor, delivery, and neonatal timeline.
What if I do not have the medical records yet?
You do not need to obtain any records before contacting us. Thomas & Wan can identify and request the relevant records. It is still helpful to preserve any discharge papers, patient-portal records, messages, photographs, or notes already in your possession.
How much does a birth-injury case review cost?
Nothing. Thomas & Wan offers free, confidential case reviews and handles accepted cases on a contingency-fee basis — attorney fees are paid only if compensation is recovered.
Do You Still Have Questions About What Happened During Delivery?
Thomas & Wan can help obtain and review the medical records, identify the timeline, and determine whether further investigation is warranted. The review is free and confidential — and because Texas filing deadlines can be complicated, talking to an attorney early protects your options.
Call (713) 529-1177Have Your Child's Birth Injury Case Reviewed
Free & confidential case review. No obligation. No fee unless we recover.