Because your child is the most important person in your life and you would do anything to protect them, you hope that you are never in a situation where you are dealing with a birth injury.
Right Diagnosis from Healthgrades states that there are six to eight birth injuries out of one-thousand births. Knowing what to do following a birth injury will have a lasting impact on your child and even your family.
Birth Injury Causes
A birth injury can happen when it’s least expected. When you go to the hospital, you automatically trust the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to care for you and your baby. You fully expect to encounter a safe delivery and welcome your healthy baby into the world. But, there are times when things don’t go exactly as planned and devastating consequences can result. Common birth injury causes are:
- Delayed Birth – This is one of the most common causes of birth injury. Labor that lasts longer than 18 hours can put stress on the baby’s brain. This is when fetal distress is detected because the baby’s brain starts reacting in emergency mode, causing the fetal blood pressure to rise.
- Oxygen Deprivation – This causes some of the most severe birth injuries. Oxygen deprivation can be a result of low birth weight and underdeveloped lungs or a kinked or prolapsed umbilical cord. Such an injury can be mild or severe and can impact the child for a short period of time or for the rest of their lives.
- Medical Malpractice – Whether it’s completely unintentional or a blatant show of incompetence, medical malpractice does take place. It is only natural to trust the medical professionals who are caring for you and your baby. They are expected to know what they are doing and expected to handle an emergency situation with ease. However, this is not always the case. Things can and do go wrong. The unfortunate result is that your child may suffer the consequences of such medical malpractice.
Common Birth Injuries
Anything can happen during delivery. Labor can last a short time or linger on for hours or even days. Some deliveries, unfortunately, result in birth injuries. Some of the most common types of birth injury are:
- Birth Asphyxia – This condition takes place when an infant is deprived of oxygen during the time surrounding its birth. Oxygen deprivation can be detrimental to an infant’s still-developing vital organs and can have lasting consequences. According to the Birth Injury Advocate, doctors worry about the damage done to the most sensitive organ in the body which is the brain.
- Brachial Plexus Injury – This injury is a result of improper delivery practices. Four types of nerve damage can be caused by such an injury, including damage to the nerve root from the spinal cord.
- Cerebral Ischemia – This is a serious condition which leads to massive brain cell death in just a few minutes and results from reduced blood flow.
- Cerebral Palsy – This condition’s most notable symptoms include impaired movement and motor function and even brain damage and can be caused by medical malpractice, premature birth or trauma.
If your child suffered a birth injury, you must take immediate steps to ensure they receive the care and compensation they deserve. Navigating through the process of getting justice can be difficult and confusing. You’ll do well to seek expert legal advice from an experienced attorney who can guide you through the steps you need to take following the birth injury.
