Medical Malpractice Resulting In Birth Injuries

Birth Injury

Medical malpractice can shatter a parent’s dreams for their child.  When a parent is told that their child has suffered a birth injury, it is a very tragic event.  It is even more tragic when a parent learns that the injury their child suffered could have been prevented.

Birth injuries can occur during different times of the birthing process and can be minor or catastrophic, even life threatening.  There are some birth injuries that are not diagnosed for months or even years after birth.  Some parents believe that the injury their child suffered was genetic, when, in some cases, it was in fact preventable.

Types of birth injuries include:

  • Brain injuries from birth – if a baby does not receive sufficient oxygen during labor and delivery brain injury can result
  • Caesarean section injuries – failure to handle complications during this major surgery can result in mothers being injured or even killed
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Erb’s palsy – damage to the nerves in the shoulder and the muscles in the elbow.
  • Excessive newborn jaundice – excessive levels of bilirubin in infants at birth can lead to severe brain damage
  • Failure to recognize fetal distress – extensive information about a child’s progress during labor is provided through fetal monitoring strips.  The failure to act on signs of distress can result in a child being severely injured or possibly die
  • Failure to recognize pregnancy induced hypertension – both the child and the mother can be injured when pregnancy causes high blood pressure or hypertension
  • Failure to recognize and treat infant seizures – seizures in an infant are often signs that the baby has suffered birth injures caused by medical negligence during labor or delivery.
  • Failure to resuscitate
  • Improper use of forceps – lifelong injuries can result from the inappropriate use of these devices
  • Obstetric negligence – obstetricians who make mistakes during labor and delivery suffer life changing injuries or death to the child and/or mother
  • Neo-natal sepsis
  • Prolonged rupture of membranes
  • Traumatic vacuum extraction – severe damage and trauma can result when a vacuum extraction is performed improperly or at the wrong time of labor
  • Uterine rupture

If you have had a child that has been injured as the result of medical negligence you should contact a medical malpractice attorney to evaluate your case.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.