Birth Injury Attorneys

Birth injury usually results from complications during delivery, although in some cases, medical malpractice is involved.

Causes of Birth Injury

While medical malpractice may be the cause of your child's birth injury, complications that can occur during labor and result in birth injury include:

• Fetal distress
• Seizures
• Breech or malpresentation: a delivery that occurs feet or buttocks first

Learn more about the causes of birth injury.

Types of Birth Injury

Birth complications happen more often than one might think. When birth complications occur they can lead to birth injury in many cases. Often, when a birth injury occurs it can cause permanent damage that complicates the lives of the infant affected and their family forever.

Below is a list of some of the most common types of injuries that happen as a result of complications experienced during childbirth.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy occurs as a direct result of a brain injury before, during, or immediately after a child is born. There are many things that can cause cerebral palsy. Some of the causes include oxygen deprivation, maternal infection, premature birth, or a blow or bump to the baby's head during delivery. Cerebral palsy affects each child differently, but it is not curable.

Erb's Palsy

Erb's palsy occurs when a birth injury leads to paralysis of one limb. The birth injury occurs as a direct result of a birth complication called shoulder dystocia. This complication occurs when the baby's head and shoulder get trapped behind the mother's pubic bone. Erb's palsy is not always permanent. In some cases surgery and therapy can help a child recover from this birth injury.

Brachial Plexus

Many infants suffer a brachial plexus injury when birth complications occur. The brachial plexus is a series of nerves that transfers signals between the spine, arms, and legs. The injury to the brachial plexus can be permanent or temporary depending on the severity. There are for different types of brachial plexus birth injury that range from a complete tear of the nerve to a stretch of the nerve.

Shoulder Dystocia

Shoulder dystocia is a common birth complication that leads to birth injury in about 20 percent of the people it happens to. Shoulder dystocia happens when the baby gets stuck behind their mother's pubic bone. When this occurs the rest of their body can not follow the head out of the vagina as it would in a normal delivery.

Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is a birth defect in which the spinal column does not fully form. If your child suffers from spina bifida, contact a birth injury attorney for more information.

Consult a Birth Injury Attorney

If you suspect that medical negligence contributed to your child's birth injury, we encourage you to take a moment to get in touch with an experienced birth injury lawyer. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your child's injuries. A birth injury attorney can review your case to determine its validity.