Common Causes of Birth Injuries

While the majority of babies enter the world unscathed, this is little consolation to the few parents whose babies suffered birth injuries or trauma.

Birth injuries sometimes occur when obstetricians or other healthcare professionals manipulate the position or movement of the baby at birth. When the baby is improperly grabbed, forced or prodded through the birth canal, the following kinds of birth injuries can result:

• Cerebral Palsy or brain damage due to oxygen deprivation to the baby
• Erb’s Palsy, Brachial Plexus Palsy, or Klumpke’s Palsy, which cause nerve damage affecting movement of the hands, wrists, or arms of the newborn
• Shoulder dystocia, which occurs when the shoulder of the newborn becomes lodged on the public bone of the mother and manipulation is required for correct delivery
• Caput succedaneum, a severe swelling of the scalp caused by improper use of vacuum extraction
• Cephalohematoma, an injury on the head of the infant, which causes jaundice as red blood cells break down

Legal remedies

In coping with these severe injuries, the family can face substantial medical expenses, including physical therapy, doctors, and medical equipment.

If negligence on the part of the healthcare provider caused the injuries and can be proven, the family could receive a financial settlement or jury award that compensates them for the cost of care.

If you believe medical negligence or malpractice caused your baby to suffer birth injuries, you need to seek the help of a medical malpractice attorney promptly as there are deadlines for suing for malpractice.