Birth Injuries

All parents-to-be look forward to the day when their baby is born, but when the baby comes out with a debilitating medical condition, the mood goes from happy, to stressed out and concerned.

Many times, birth injuries could have been prevented had the physician not acted in negligence and medical malpractice (link to medical malpractice page). The follow are some common birth injuries:

Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is a group of medical conditions involving physical movement, learning, hearing, and seeing, that occur due to problems with brain development. Cerebral palsy can be caused by many different mistakes made by medical staff, before, during, or after birth. One of the most common causes is improper birthing techniques. Because giving birth involves a great deal of muscle contraction on the part of the mother, an incorrect delivery can cause damage to the baby's brain as it passes through the birth canal. Symptoms of cerebral palsy can be seen before the age of two, but sometimes as early as three to four months.

Newborn jaundice

Newborn jaundice is a yellowing of the skin in infants. Although jaundice is relatively common birth injury, if left untreated, it can cause severe brain damage, hypoplasia, and loss of hearing or vision.

C-section injuries

Many birth injuries happen when the baby is being delivered surgically, as opposed to naturally out of the mother's birth canal. Contrary to popular belief, a Cesarean section is considered major surgery, and there are several things that could go wrong during the procedure. The procedure is not only potentially harmful for the baby (sometimes causing scratches, cuts, or fractures), but also to the mother: infection, intense bleeding, nerve damage, and abdominal adhesions. Sometimes C-sections are performed when the procedure is not really needed, and this is a case of medical malpractice.