What are Birth Injuries?

Birth injuries range in severity from temporary problems that can be resolved during a short hospital stay to long-term medical conditions that may present lifelong issues. Medical providers are trained to recognize the risk factors and warning signs for harm during labor and delivery. But when those signs aren’t noticed quickly enough, harm can result.

One of the most common birth complications is brain damage, caused by lack of oxygen from a twisted umbilical cord or bleeding. An infant’s head experiences much of the pressure during delivery, particularly in difficult births. The force applied by an obstetrician can cause tears and bleeding in the brain, resulting in a lack of oxygen. Bleeding between the outer and inner layers of the brain covering—known as a subdural hemorrhage—can put added pressure on the surface of the brain, causing problems such as seizures or high levels of bilirubin in the blood. (High levels of bilirubin can be toxic, causing brain damage including mental retardation and cerebral palsy.)

Cerebral bleeding can occur with any newborn, but babies born prematurely are at greater risk of bleeding in the brain. Significant bleeding puts a newborn at higher risk of development delays, cerebral palsy and learning disorders. A doctor should anticipate a difficult delivery when the mother has small pelvic measurements or the baby seems large or is in an abnormal position. When doctors don’t take proper precautions to steps for a difficult delivery and a brain injury occurs, they may have violated the standard of care required of physicians.

Another common birth injury is shoulder dystocia, which occurs when the baby’s shoulders are too large for the birth canal and become wedged behind the mother’s pelvic bone. When this happens, the baby must be removed quickly, and force is often used to extract the child, often resulting in unintended but serious complications.

The complications can include:

• Brachial Plexus Palsy – The brachial plexus is a group of nerves carrying nerve impulses from the spine to the muscles in the arms and hands. This system of nerves controls movement of the hands, arms and shoulders. Injuries occur when the shoulders of the fetus are too large for the birth canal and subsequently become trapped behind the pubic bone after the delivery of the head (also known as shoulder dystocia). Injuries occur today in 1 out of 1,000 births. The brachial plexus nerves can be injured from pressure on the baby’s raised arms during a breech birth, from pulling on the shoulders during a headfirst delivery and during delivery of a larger-than-average newborn, more common with diabetic mothers. Complete brachial plexus paralysis occurs when all five nerves are affected. More information can be found in the Brachial Plexus Palsy section found at this location.
• Cerebral Palsy – Cerebral Palsy is a condition in which brain damage or abnormality affects body movement and muscle coordination. The parts of the brain that control muscle movements are particularly vulnerable to injury in premature infants, possibly because the blood vessels to the brain are poorly developed, bleed easily and can’t carry enough oxygen to the brain. The early signs of Cerebral Palsy appear by the time a child reaches three years of age. Common symptoms are lack of muscle coordination, exaggerated reflexes, walking with one foot dragging and a scissored gait. Cerebral Palsy can’t be cured, but it can be treated with medication to control seizures, physical therapy and surgery. More information can be found in the Cerebral Palsy section found at this location.
• Erb’s Palsy – Erb’s Palsy typically occurs after difficult deliveries in which doctors use force or mechanical methods to remove the infant from the birth canal. Erb’s Palsy can lead to temporary or permanent weakness and loss of mobility in the hand, finger or arm. The condition takes its name from Dr. Wilhelm Erb, a German neurologist who first identified this most common form of brachial plexus Palsy as resulting from injury to nerves in the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae. While Brachial Plexus Palsy affects the upper arm, Erb’s Palsy affects the upper and lower arm. More information can be found at the Erb’s Palsy section found at this location.

Starting in the 1980s, a steady increase in the percentage of babies born prematurely (defined at less than 37 weeks) has been a cause of concern. One out of eight babies is born pre-term. Pre-term infants are at an increased risk of life-long disabilities.

If your child was born with any of these conditions, a medical malpractice attorney with experience in birth injury claims can help evaluate the circumstances of your child’s injury to determine whether doctors, nurses and other medical staff failed to take appropriate steps during labor and delivery. Your lawyer will work with accredited medical experts to evaluate whether healthcare standards were met and provide you with qualified opinions on any long-term health issues.

If you have concerns about your child’s medical care, please contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. for a free, no-obligation consultation at 877.420.1269. Please keep in mind that there are strict deadlines for filing medical malpractice actions. The statute of limitations may be running on your claim, so time is of the essence.