Cerebral Palsy
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Shoulder Dystocia
A significant injury caused at birth is damage to the nerves in the baby’s shoulder known as a Brachial Plexus injury, or Erb’s Palsy. This injury occurs when the baby’s shoulder is caught behind the mother’s pelvic bone. The injury, in its worst form, can cause the arm to be paralyzed and hang loosely.
This injury is sometimes caused by the doctor’s or nurse’s negligence during delivery. It can also be caused by a large baby and the doctor’s decision not to do a C-Section.
If your child has a birth injury, and you would like an expert opinion as to the cause, Contact Us for a free consultation.
VBAC (Vaginal birth after a Caesarean Section)
Once a mother has delivered by C-Section, a decision must be made by both the mother and her doctor about how any subsequent children should be delivered. Due to the incision into the abdomen and the intrusion into the uterus, a danger exists that an attempt at a vaginal birth might cause a uterine rupture. That rupture can cause serious injury to both the mother and her child.
If you delivered a child vaginally after a C-Section,
- Were you injured during the delivery?
- Did your child suffer any physical injuries?
- Did your child suffer any brain injury?
- Did your doctor thoroughly explain the risks of a vaginal birth?
- Did you request a C-Section?
- Did the doctor refuse to perform a C-Section?
- Did you begin a vaginal delivery, then develop complications?
- Was the hospital prepared to deal with complications once they began?
- Did the hospital have the necessary staff and doctors available in sufficient time?
If you or your child were injured during a vaginal birth or attempted vaginal birth after you had previously delivered by C-Section, Contact Us for a free consultation.
Instrument Injuries
Many times babies need help coming down and out of the birth canal. Doctors use instruments known as Forceps and Vacuum Extractors. Injuries are sometimes caused by:
- Misuse of the instrument
- Using too much force to pull the head
- Multiple attempts to deliver the child
- Use of an instrument when not required
- Not using the instrument at the proper time
- Inexperience of the doctor in using the instrument
Injuries can be caused to both the mother and the child, and can be severe enough to cause permanent brain injury to the baby.
Brain Injuries
Injury to the baby's brain can occur during the pregnancy due to infections, reduced blood supply, injury to the mother, loss of amniotic fluid, or other natural causes. During labor and delivery, all of these factors can also occur, and if the amount of oxygen delivered to the fetus through the placenta is reduced, the brain of the fetus can suffer irreparable harm. The fetal moniter strips assist the doctors and nurses in their assessment of the baby's well-being, and if the heart rate changes significantly as shown by these strips, injury to the child can occur within minutes if not attended to by the medical personnel.
Infections present in the mother's body either before delivery, or during labor and delivery can likewise cause brain injury. These infections need to be diagnosed and treated.
Asphyxia
Babies are sometimes not breathing when they are born. Hospitals should have a team of pediatricians, neo-natologists, and resuscitation experts available to immediately begin delivering oxygen to the baby. Minutes are crucial. Any delay in getting the baby to breathe can cause injury to the child. If resuscitation is not successful, the child can die.
Lung Injuries
Babies often ingest a substance in the womb known as meconium. It presents as a green or greenish-yellow color. The doctors and nurses need to suction this from the baby's lungs immediately upon delivery. If they fail to do this, the baby could suffocate, or suffer injury to its lungs.