Did Your Child Develop NEC After Drinking Baby Formula?

 Posted on February 19, 2025 in Defective Products

Often shortened to NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis is a life-threatening condition that typically only affects sick or premature newborns. With this condition, a child’s intestinal tissue can become inflamed, die, and fall off. NEC is fatal in up to 50 percent of cases, but it can also cause other long-term health issues for surviving babies.

Recently, cases of NEC have been linked to some cow’s milk-based baby formulas. Because so many parents have filed lawsuits against these companies, a multidistrict litigation has been established to consolidate these cases. If your infant suffered from NEC after drinking baby formula, an experienced Arlington Heights, IL defective products attorney can evaluate your eligibility to join others in seeking compensation.

How Can Necrotizing Enterocolitis Affect Infants?

Babies with NEC may experience multiple symptoms, including:

• An inability to digest food

• Abdominal pain, distention, and discoloration

• Vomiting and diarrhea, including bloody stool

• Low heart rate

• Apnea

• Unstable body temperature

• Lethargy

In more severe cases, newborns can develop peritonitis, fluid in the abdominal cavity, sepsis, and bacterial infections. Perforations or holes in the colon or intestinal walls may need emergency surgery to repair. Early detection and aggressive treatment can improve a baby’s outlook, but death is a long-term possibility. If these children survive, neurological, digestive, respiratory, and nutritional problems can have profound effects.

What Is the Basis of the NEC Lawsuits?

Product manufacturers have several obligations. They should produce products that are safe for consumers to use, and they are also obligated to adequately warn consumers about potential risks and side effects. Plaintiffs in NEC lawsuits claim that the manufacturers of various baby formula products failed to warn consumers about the dangers of developing NEC when premature newborns are fed cow’s milk-based baby formula.

Various studies have shown that these types of formula increase NEC risks. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that preemies be fed human rather than artificial milk because of these risks as early as 2012. Plaintiffs argue that the companies manufacturing these products knew or should have known about these risks yet failed to include information on product labels and in advertisements.

How Do I Know if I Am Eligible to Pursue an NEC Claim?

Our legal team is extremely knowledgeable about NEC and how to determine your eligibility. To qualify, your newborn must have been fed one of the many products in question and also suffered harm due to developing NEC. The best way to establish your eligibility to seek damages is by calling us and arranging a free consultation.

Discuss Your Case With a Compassionate Schaumburg, IL NEC Lawyer

If your infant sustained injuries or died from NEC after drinking defective baby formula, one of the experienced Palatine, IL personal injury attorneys from Newland & Newland, LLP can help you collect the compensation you deserve. Call 847-797-8000 now or arrange your consultation using our online form.