Generally, these injuries result from maternal or fetal health issues or difficult labor and delivery. They can also be caused by medical negligence on the part of doctors, nurses, and midwives.

Treatments include medication, assistive devices, therapists, and surgeries. For example, a child with Erb’s Palsy or cerebral palsy can receive physical therapy to help them develop and refine their motor skills. Contact Atlanta Birth Injury Lawyer to learn more.

Brain Injury

There are numerous birth injuries resulting from brain damage, including permanent debilitating conditions like cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury. These issues can occur due to maternal conditions, difficult labor, and medical malpractice. Depending on the type of birth injury and the severity, symptoms may change over time improve, worsen, or disappear altogether.

The most common types of brain-related birth injuries are due to oxygen deprivation or lack of blood flow in the brain. The resulting symptoms range from mild to severe and can impact every aspect of your child’s life.

Other birth injuries include meconium aspiration syndrome, which occurs when an infant breathes stool into its lungs during delivery. This can lead to respiratory problems or even death in some cases. Infant torticollis is caused by pressure on the infant’s neck and head during the delivery process. The result is a tilted or twisted head and can be the cause of other birth injuries like Erb’s palsy or Cerebral Palsy.

Other physical birth injuries include brachial plexus injury, which affects the nerves that control movement in the shoulder, arm, and hand. This condition can occur in up to 2.5 out of 1,000 births. Heavier infants, those born in the breech position, or during an assisted delivery are more likely to suffer from this type of birth injury. Some children with brachial plexus injury need treatment, but most recover on their own or with therapy.

Erb’s Palsy

A network of nerves in the neck called the brachial plexus provides movement and sensation to the arms. An injury to this system can cause weakness or paralysis in the shoulder or arm. It often results from medical errors during delivery. In most cases, a child’s Erb’s palsy is temporary and resolves itself within three months. However, severe or prolonged damage to the nerves can result in permanent disability and affect a child’s daily activities.

This condition is most likely to occur during a difficult labor or a vaginal breech birth. It can also happen if the doctor has to shift the baby’s head to one side as it emerges from the birth canal or pushes too hard to get a stubborn infant out of the birth canal.

These movements can strain the shoulders and stretch the brachial plexus nerves. The least severe type of this condition is known as neurapraxia, which means the nerves are stretched but not torn or damaged. The more serious types of Erb’s palsy are those that cause permanent weakness or paralysis of the shoulder and arm.

A lawyer who is skilled in birth injury law can help parents pursue monetary compensation to cover treatment expenses. This can include physical therapy, medication, surgery, and other costs. An attorney can also hold negligent medical professionals accountable to prevent them from harming other children in the future.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a severe type of birth injury that affects the parts of your child’s brain that control movement, posture, balance, and other motor functions. In some cases, this is caused by a problem with the skull or brain tissue that develops in the first few days or weeks after your child’s delivery. In other cases, it is the result of medical malpractice or negligence by a healthcare professional in the delivery room.

Symptoms of cerebral palsy include trouble moving, difficulty with posture, and sometimes seizures or speech problems. These symptoms may also impact your child’s emotions or self-esteem. Many things can cause a birth injury, such as problems with the uterus, the umbilical cord, or the brain. However, many of these injuries are preventable if the healthcare team follows standard procedures during the labor and delivery process.

The good news is that most birth injuries are temporary, and many babies improve on their own after a few weeks. However, other birth injuries can have permanent effects, such as Erb’s palsy or spinal cord injury. These can lead to significant challenges, even if your child’s condition improves with treatment. Getting help from an experienced lawyer is often the best way to protect your family’s interests and ensure you receive compensation for your child’s care. A free case review is the first step in finding out how a lawyer can help you.

Spinal Cord Injury

Injuries to a newborn’s spinal cord can be extremely severe. These injuries are typically caused by traction or twisting during labor and delivery that puts pressure on the spinal cord. When this happens, it can lead to nerve damage that causes paralysis and disability.

Heavier babies have a greater chance of experiencing this type of injury due to the difficulty they have in exiting the birth canal. They also have an increased risk of shoulder dystocia and other complications that can cause this type of injury.

Spinal cord injuries can also happen when the mother’s pelvis has an abnormal shape that makes it difficult to deliver a baby. Other risks include prolonged labor and the use of forceps during the delivery process.

Other common physical birth injuries include fractures and nerve damage. Fractures may include the clavicle (colloquially called “the collar bone”), femur, and ribs. The most common fracture is a clavicle fracture that occurs in up to 15 per 1,000 live births. Nerve damage, such as facial nerve and brachial plexus injuries, is more common and is often associated with a traumatic birth. These types of injuries are sometimes caused by medical malpractice, which includes negligence in recognizing and responding to fetal distress, improperly diagnosing the condition, or using delivery instruments too forcefully. A consultation with a lawyer can help you determine whether your child’s birth injury was avoidable and could have been prevented.

Shoulder Dystocia

Shoulder dystocia happens when the baby’s shoulder becomes stuck inside the mother’s pelvic bone during delivery. It is a serious problem that can lead to major complications for both the mother and the child if not handled properly. Most doctors recognize this issue right away and provide immediate medical intervention so that the baby can be safely delivered. However, if a doctor fails to act quickly enough or acts negligently during this difficult process, both the mother and baby can suffer severe injuries that may last for life.

One of the most common signs of shoulder dystocia is that the baby’s head retracts like that of a turtle, which is known as the “turtle sign.” This is an emergency because the infant cannot breathe unless the obstetrician can release the anterior shoulder from the mother’s pubic bone. If the obstetrician fails to do so, the baby can die from oxygen deprivation.

In addition, excessive force during delivery can stretch and damage the upper brachial plexus nerves, which supply the motor and sensory components of the arm, hand, and fingers. This is a permanent injury that causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the affected area for the rest of the patient’s life. Doctors can reduce the risk of this injury by avoiding using pitocin (a synthetic form of oxytocin) to induce labor and speed up delivery. They should also avoid using forceps and vacuum extraction during the birthing process, which can increase the chance of shoulder dystocia.

Birth Trauma

Some birth injuries are minor, but others can be very serious and cause lifelong complications. These can affect the child’s ability to move, feel, and use their body. They can also have a long-term impact on the mother, and the entire family.

A spinal cord injury interrupts the signals that allow a baby to control their limbs. This can cause the muscles in their arms and hands to weaken. Generally, these injuries are due to a doctor pulling on the neck and head too hard during delivery.

Babies may have spinal cord injuries due to being born in a breech position, having too much weight, and undergoing a Cesarean section. In these cases, the doctors need to be careful not to pull too hard, as this can lead to spinal cord damage.

The brachial plexus nerves send signals to the hand, arm, and shoulder. If these are injured, a child might have Erb’s palsy (brachial plexus palsy). This condition causes partial paralysis in the arm and shoulder. Most children make a full recovery with the help of physical and occupational therapy.

Depending on maternal and infant conditions, as well as external factors like medical negligence, some birth injuries are more severe than others. Some are caused by direct trauma to the brain, while others are due to a lack of oxygen during the birthing process, known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Other common birth injuries include spinal cord and shoulder dystocia.