What Type of Birth Injuries Are There?

Statistically, birth injuries are rare. In fact, they only occur seven times out of 1,000 births. However, when one of those affected by the often debilitating injuries is your child or a relative, it may not matter how rare the problem is. The truth is that medical errors Chronic Paradise occur every day, and the complications resulting from those errors can cause a lifetime of issues for the baby and the caregivers, and sometimes the injuries result in death.

The Most Common Birth Injuries

Some babies are born with minor injuries due to the birthing process, and they can heal from the scrapes or dings with little problem. Those minimal issues are not considered birth injuries. Injuries from the act of birthing or the negligent care given during the birthing process that results in a serious injury are birth injuries. They can include:

Brain damage at birth that can lead to lifetime neurological and physical problems. Although it can sometimes be reversed if caught immediately after birth, the brain cell deterioration from lack of oxygen or a bacterial infection is considered a lifelong disability.

Broken skull injuries can be minor or major, and therein lies the difference in whether the complications are life-altering. When the problem exacerbates swelling of the brain due to the fracture, the pressure can result in a bleeding brain or death. If the baby lives, the damage may result in a lifelong impaired existence.

Lack of oxygen for over 10 minutes is a big problem for newborns. Oxygen starvation can result in Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), which can be fatal, cause disabilities, or kill brain cells resulting in brain damage.

Broken arms, legs, or clavicles are rare birth injuries, but they do occur – often due to medical negligence. Medical staff may drop a newborn, or pressure from the use of surgical instruments may result in any of these broken bones.

Facial swelling and damage to the eyes can result from the doctor’s use of forceps to pull a baby out of the birth canal. Although most bruises are temporary, some facial damages result from the intense and inappropriate squeezing of the forceps as the doctor tries to pull the baby out.

Newborn seizures can be caused by HIE, birth trauma, or infections. Although they can be difficult to detect or diagnose, medication can be administered to reduce their severity.

Don’t Wait To Seek Help

If you believe your newborn may have been injured because of the negligence of medical personnel during or after birth, contact a birth injury lawyer like one from Ward & Ward Law Firm immediately. Don’t wait to see if the problem fixes itself because it often only gets worse. The trained professional will listen and advise you on what steps to take next to get the compensation you deserve.