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:
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.
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