Many children are afflicted with injuries which occurred at the time of labor and delivery.  Some of these injuries are indeed, “birth defects,” caused by natural events.  Other injuries, are, unfortunately, caused by a doctor or nurse, not intentionally, but through carelessness:

• Did the nurse watch closely the fetal monitor strip to assure that your baby was safe before delivery?
• Did the doctor perform a C-Section in a timely fashion, or did he refuse to offer you that option?
• Was your child breathing at birth?  How long did it take the doctors and nurses to get him/her breathing?
• Did you have difficulty delivering?  Did the baby become stuck in the birth canal?
• Did your child develop seizures after birth?
• Have you been told your child has Cerebral Palsy?
  • Do you believe it was a “natural” injury?
  • Do you blame yourself?
  • Has anyone explained why your child has Cerebral Palsy?

There is not always an explanation as to why a child develops Cerebral Palsy.  It can be caused by one or more of the following:

• Lack of oxygen during labor and delivery; 
• Injuries to the skull from forceps or vacuum;
• Long difficult labor;
• Large babies who are difficult to deliver; 
• Damage to the placenta that is not recognized.

A child with Cerebral Palsy may exhibit some or all of the following symptoms:

• Clutched hands;
• Feet that turn in;
• Inability to crawl, sit up or walk normally;
• Epileptic seizures (grand mal);
• Instances of staring (petit mal seizures);
• Inability to talk, or to talk normally; 
• Retardation, or slow learning;
• Inability to eat normally;Lack of motor control.

If your child exhibits any of these symptoms, or you suspect that his/her development is not progressing normally, Contact Us for a free consultation.