What Are the Most Common Causes of Birth Injuries? February 26, 2019.
Welcoming a new child into the world is often one of the greatest joys expecting parents will ever experience. Unfortunately, if a medical professional acts negligently and provides substandard care, your joyous moment could be paired with pain, anger, and confusion. If your child suffered a birth injury due to someone else’s error or negligence, it’s important that you understand how the injury was caused and what the potential repercussions may be.
Birth injuries can vary greatly in severity. While the effects of some birth injuries might last no longer than a day or two, others could lead to lifelong consequences. When dealing with these types of injuries in infants, the symptoms are often difficult for parents to detect because developmental delays do not become evident until the child begins missing major milestones.
In order to determine whether or not your child was harmed in the birth process, make sure you know what types of birth injuries to be aware of.
We have compiled a list of some of the most common causes of birth injuries below:
- Head trauma during delivery: Head trauma in a newborn baby can result in severe damage to the nervous system and brain, sometimes resulting in hematomas. One of the most common conditions caused by this type of injury is cerebral palsy, which cannot be cured.
- Forced delivery: The delivery process can sometimes be incredibly difficult and require substantially more effort than a mother can give. Under these circumstances, a doctor might need to aid the process, using a vacuum, forceps, or even forced pressure. However, this increases the risk of a birth injury to the infant, such as Erb’s palsy, which can lead to paralysis and other problems.
- The delivery was delayed: Going through labor is a traumatic experience for the body, which is why it is crucial that the process move swiftly to prevent injuries from occurring to the mother or the infant. When a delivery is delayed, or complications are not treated soon enough, this can cause serious injuries, or may even result in death.
- Lack of oxygen: Another common cause of birth injuries is oxygen deprivation, which often occurs due to complications in the womb that require immediate medical treatment, particularly those involving the umbilical cord.
- Premature birth: A big concern for expecting parents is premature birth. Medical professionals must properly monitor the growth of the fetus to prevent this from occurring, though there are certain conditions, such as preeclampsia or a weakened cervix, that can force a premature birth to occur. Some of these conditions can be detected and addressed, so it is important for medical professionals to be vigilant and effectively monitor both mother and child, especially if there are high-risk factors involved.
If your baby sustained a birth injury that you believe was caused by medical negligence, it is crucial that you seek skilled legal representation as soon as possible to pursue compensation.
Compassionate Birth Injury Lawyers in Cleveland
It can be devastating to come to the realization that a trusted health care provider injured your newborn baby during the birthing process. Make sure the responsible parties are held accountable for their actions by hiring a skilled legal advocate to represent your case. At The Mellino Law Firm LLC in Cleveland, our compassionate birth injury attorneys are committed to helping families recover compensation to relieve the financial burden of this overwhelming experience.
Begin your birth injury lawsuit today and contact our legal team at (440) 333-3800 to request a complimentary case evaluation with one of our attorneys.
