The arrival of a baby should be a time of joy and celebration for your family. And while it’s true that most babies are delivered without incident, certain errors in the delivery room can lead to a heartbreaking injury for your child. Let’s take a closer look at birth injuries.
Birth Injury Definition
A birth injury refers to a physical injury sustained by an infant during birth. In many cases, the injury is caused by a physician neglecting to follow the standard of care in the delivery room, such as using too much physical force or failing to recognize a baby’s dropping oxygen levels. It’s estimated that more than 28,000 birth injuries occur each year, and many are completely preventable.
What to Look For
Although many birth injuries are minor and leave no lasting impact, others may create lifelong complications for your child. These are the cases that generally merit a lawsuit against the hospital in order to compensate for the child’s medical treatment and your family’s pain and suffering.
Here are a few signs of birth injuries that may be evident immediately after birth:
- Cuts or bruising around the head and shoulders
- Requiring resuscitation or cooling
- Pale, yellow, or blue skin
- Slow breathing or oxygen deprivation
- Difficulty feeding
- Loose or limp arms or legs
- Seizures
Other birth injuries may take months or years to show symptoms. You may notice your child isn’t hitting key development milestones. Any of the following could be linked to an injury sustained in the delivery room.
- Deficiencies in fine motor skills
- Diagnosis of cerebral palsy
- Failure to progress normally toward sitting up, crawling or walking
- Failure to progress normally toward speech and language milestones
- Lack of response to light, noise or other stimuli
- Seizures
What to Do After a Birth Injury
We understand you may feel scared, angry and upset at the possibility that your child was injured during birth. Let us assure you that the best course of action is to seek an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Your attorney will be well-equipped to listen to your situation and determine the likelihood that a birth injury occurred. From there, you’ll work together to build a winning case that delivers justice and peace of mind.
Our attorneys are here for you during this difficult time. Reach out to the Casey Devoti Brockland team for a free consultation.
