Healthcare professionals are responsible for navigating through difficult childbirth situations and offering prompt medical intervention and treatment whenever needed. For instance, your primary care physician might need to act promptly during emergencies when a baby or mother faces imminent danger.
However, failing to provide the necessary treatment during an emergency will lead to childbirth defects and sometimes death. Furthermore, these complications might also result in permanent harm to the child.
That said, medical negligence during delivery is the direct result of failing to identify prevailing and evident conditions in the mother or baby. As a result, obstetricians are required to properly screen and test mothers for high-risk medical conditions like maternal infection, diabetes, and preeclampsia, to ensure safe delivery.
Failure to do so can cause serious harm to the baby and lead to permanent or temporary childbirth injuries. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, around 30 percent of these childbirth injuries can be prevented.
Unfortunately, medical malpractice is among the leading causes of infant death and childbirth injuries in the U.S. alone. So, with the help of a recent CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) study, let us look at a few common childbirth injuries that are a direct result of medical practice.
Some of these childbirth injuries are listed below.
Cerebral Palsy.
A childbirth injury might cause cerebral palsy due to medical negligence or malpractice. This injury usually occurs when a primary care physician fails to keep a patient safe during childbirth. Not to mention, it is one of the most common birth injuries of newborns in the U.S.
So, for parents thinking if their child has cerebral palsy due to medical malpractice. The answer might be yes!
Typically, this injury is caused when a brain injury occurs to your child during birth complications or a lack of oxygen to the brain. At this point, your doctor is solely responsible for ensuring safe delivery, but if these healthcare professionals fail to perform their duties diligently, they might be the ones to blame if your child develops cerebral palsy.
In any circumstances, if there was an injury caused by medical negligence, it shouldn’t go unpunished. So, consider hiring a medical malpractice attorney and filling a medical practice lawsuit if you can support your claim.
Brachial Palsy.
Brachial Palsy commonly occurs when an infant suffers damage to the nerves responsible for controlling the movement of their hands and arms. These nerves are also known as Brachial Plexus. This childbirth injury can lead to various permanent, severe, or temporary issues.
However, in about 10 percent of documented cases, the damage is life-long, with the most severe injuries causing complete bodily paralysis.
That said, a common cause of Brachial Palsy is shoulder dystocia. This condition occurs when an infant’s shoulders are stuck in the mother’s pelvis during childbirth. So, if a gynecologist tries to deliver a baby when it’s stuck, the brachial plexus can suffer damage.
Furthermore, damage to these nerves sometimes leads to Klumpke’s Palsy or Erb’s Palsy.
Bone Fractures.
Difficult or complex deliveries usually cause bone fractures in newborn babies. Typically, clavicle bone fractures are the most common fractures during childbirth. This childbirth injury occurs when an infant’s shoulder is pulled too hard during a complicated delivery or when the infant is in a breech position.
The doctor might recommend immobilization to fix the bone fracture, which depends on the severity of the bone fracture. Luckily, you don’t have to worry too much about this type of injury, as most fractures will heal over time.
Cephalohematoma.
Cephalohematoma is a childbirth injury that leads to bleeding on the underside of the baby’s skull, typically under one of the many cranial bones. This injury results when a doctor misuses a vacuum or forceps during delivery.
Generally, the symptoms of Cephalohematoma occur several hours after birth in the form of raised bump on the baby’s head.
Though the bumps will disappear after a few months or weeks and pose no immediate danger to your baby, later in life, these bumps might cause several other issues such as meningitis, hypotension, anemia, or jaundice.
Facial Paralysis.
Facial paralysis to the infant occurs when your obstetrician misuses forceps or a vacuum to facilitate a complicated delivery during birth.
In newborn infants, facial paralysis hinders their ability to control facial muscles or close their eyes properly. While non-severe injuries will usually disappear after a few weeks, there have been many cases of permanent facial paralysis.
So, if you think that your child has facial paralysis, consider getting in touch with a childbirth injury lawyer today.
Conclusion.
Thousands of children and born every day. However, malpractice and negligence can lead to life-long, profound effects for families everywhere. The list mentioned above will give you a better idea of the type of childbirth injuries infants suffer during delivery.
So, if you think your doctor’s negligence caused your child’s birth injuries, consider getting in touch with your attorney to file for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Doing so will enable you to receive compensation that will make your baby’s life a little less challenging.
