Birth injuries occur in 27 out of 1000 births
When a baby is born with an injury injury, the family may be faced with a future that will involve complicated and prolonged care for that child. Complicating the situation is the fact that parents are often uneducated about the cause of their child’s condition.
In some cases, a birth injury may go undetected for months or years. The birth injury may be due to one or more medical mistakes during pregnancy, labor or delivery. Parents are often left with the incorrect impression that their child simply has a birth defect, and that it could not have been prevented. Sometimes this is true, but often times it isn’t.
Most parents have no way of knowing what happened to their child and many do not know where to begin to search for answers.
Types of Birth Injury
- Cerebral Palsy
- Brachial Plexus Palsy
- Erb’s Palsy
- Shoulder dystocia
- Group B strep infections
- Spinal cord trauma
- Klumpke’s palsy
- Horner’s syndrome
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Paralysis
- Fractures
- Cephalohematoma (can lead to jaundice)
- Meningitis
- Cranial nerve trauma
Typical Causes of Birth Injury
- Failure to respond to or recognize bleeding (abrupted placenta or fetal bleeding)
- Causing or failing to respond to umbilical cord entrapment or compression (prolapsed cord)
- Failure to respond to fetal distress
- Delay in ordering or performing C-section
- Misuse of vacuum extractor or forceps
- Misuse of pitocin (labor stimulating drug)
- Poor resuscitation and newborn care after birth
- Failure to prevent, recognize or treat infection
- Failure to diagnose or treat jaundice
- Failure to diagnose or treat meningitis
Possible Neurological Signs of Birth Injury
- Floppy, depressed, pale or blue after birth
- Seizures and neurological problems in first days of life
- Permanent damage often including cerebral palsy, cortical blindness and mental retardation or learning deficits
Why You Need an Experienced Birth Injury Lawyer
Medical malpractice is one of the most complicated areas of law. If you think medical negligence may have played a part in your child’s injury, you need an experienced birth injury lawyer who understands the complexities of birth injury cases. A birth injury lawyer can help you get the settlement you need to take care of your child’s enormous medical costs, help you deal with the emotional hardship a birth injury can cause, and help your family adapt to this lifestyle change.
