Unfortunately, birth injuries can and do occur. When something goes wrong, instead of being a happy time when new parents are celebrating and basking in the glow of a new family, the period right after birth can be a nightmare. It is not only right after birth that a parent may notice a problem. Several months after the birth of a child, a parent may notice something is not right with the newborn. Injuries can occur in the delivery room but not manifest until months later. All of these situations may have at their root medical malpractice.
Cerebral palsy and brain injuries to a child are two types of injuries that may have been caused by negligent care. Common causes of cerebral palsy include negligent prenatal care by a doctor or a mistake made in the delivery room.
Cerebral palsy and your infant
Cerebral palsy is a disorder that impairs the ability to control motor functions, posture, and movement. Sometimes symptoms are mild but they can also be severe. Cases that involve seizures and mental impairment can make life difficult for all involved and can require intense care that costs exorbitant amounts of money. Cerebral palsy can occur during delivery due to loss of oxygen and brain damage caused by a failure to discover fetal distress, or by a delay in performing a caesarean section.
The needs and challenges of caring for an individual with cerebral palsy are great. There is no cure for the disorder, but proper care can give families a reasonable measure of comfort and allow them to live a little easier.
Dr. Michael M. Wilson is an attorney and a physician who earned his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his legal and medical degrees from Georgetown University. He has focused in the area of medical malpractice for more than three decades and secured more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of clients throughout the country. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is listed in America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators.
