Life-altering birth injuries can happen during childbirth and impact the lives of not just the newborns, but their entire families. These injuries can stem from numerous sources, including but not limited to: medical negligence, improper use of medical equipment, or failure to adequately diagnose and treat health problems that arose during pregnancy or labor.
Here are just a few of the most frequent birth injuries, along with descriptions of how they happen, potential responsible parties, and how a birth injury lawyer can help if you are facing any of these or other similar issues.
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Cerebral Palsy (CP)
One of the gravest injuries a child can suffer at birth is cerebral palsy, resulting from harm to the brain during or just after the birth process. Causes of such brain damage can be many, including a lack of oxygen (asphyxia), being struck by a strong force (trauma) while emerging from the birth canal, or even some type of infection.
Whatever the cause, the human toll of CP is immense, and we’re still working to find a cure. The condition affects the coordination of muscles and the development of motor skills.
Brachial Plexus Injury (Erb’s Palsy)
Brachial plexus injury occurs when the nerves controlling a person’s shoulder, arm, and hand are damaged. One common cause of brachial plexus injury is excessive pull on the baby during delivery (especially if the baby is large or has large shoulders). When the baby’s arm is dislodged too suddenly, the nerves in the baby’s shoulder area can be torn apart or stretched to the point of breaking.
A birth injury lawyer might look into whether standard practices during delivery were followed, and whether excessive pull was used or improper techniques employed. They might also consult with obstetric experts to see if any negligence was involved.
Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) happens when there is an insufficient supply of blood and oxygen to the fetus’s brain. This condition, resulting in various degrees of brain damage, could lead to severe developmental delays, seizures, and cognitive deficits. Common causes of HIE include prolonged labor, placental issues, umbilical cord difficulties, or inadequate monitoring of fetal oxygen levels.
When HIE is suspected, lawyers examine cardiotocographic (CTG) records, the mother’s health records, and the sequence of events during labor. They work with neonatologists and other specialists to determine if timely interventions could have prevented the brain damage that occurred, establishing whether or not the standards of care were followed during labor and delivery.
Don’t Delay if You Need the Services of a Birth Injury Lawyer
Lawyers who work on these cases understand the medicine involved in childbirth well enough to know when a delivery has gone wrong, and why. Such lawyers don’t represent the healthcare system; rather, they represent families of children who have suffered brain injuries during birth.
By assisting those families in understand the events surrounding their child’s birth through the lens of medical knowledge, these lawyers help the families gain recompense for the severe and lifelong injuries suffered by their children.
