What Are the Most Common Birth Related Injuries?

To learn that your baby has suffered an injury during the labor and delivery process can be devastating. When your doctor helps you in the delivery room, you expect them to give you the best standard of care possible. When this doesn’t happen, however, there are a variety of birth injuries that your child may suffer. Additionally, you may have suffered injury as a result of a physician’s actions or inactions as well. You and/or your child may even have been harmed as a result of a nurse’s negligence or the practices put into place by the hospital where you delivered your child. 

Learning about the most common kinds of birth-related injuries that children suffer won’t “solve” the challenges that your family is facing. However, as an experienced Kansas City, MO birth injury lawyer – including those who practice at Royce Injury Attorneys, LCC – can confirm, this knowledge may help to empower you to explore your legal options in the wake of your child’s suffering. 

Oxygen Deprivation

If your child is deprived of oxygen during birth, it can lead to brain injuries. Brain injuries can lead to a variety of conditions, including epilepsy and chronic seizures. When a doctor fails to monitor your child during birth and they remain in the birth canal too long, oxygen deprivation becomes more likely. Children born with oxygen deprivation may also have intellectual disabilities and physical problems.

Facial Paralysis

During the delivery period, the doctor has to make sure that there is not too much pressure on the infant’s face. Too much pressure can result in damaged facial nerves. When doctors use forceps or vacuums to extract the baby, paralysis becomes more likely. After delivery, your baby may not have the ability to close their eye(s) or move their face’s affected side.

Fractured Collarbones

Doctors need to practice care when delivering a baby. During a complicated delivery, your baby could suffer from bone fractures, particularly in the collarbone. While these fractures may be able to heal on their own, you may require extensive medical treatment and immobilization to heal them.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is one of the most common birth injuries. In fact, out of every 1,000 children, about two or three may be born with cerebral palsy. Children with cerebral palsy may have weak muscles, muscle spasms or lack motor skill development.

Doctors can cause cerebral palsy if they do not monitor the mother, use poor birth techniques or do not monitor the fetus if he or she is in distress. All of these can cause hypoxic episodes with the child. Some children can undergo surgery to help with cerebral palsy, but it will affect your child for his or her entire life. Children with cerebral palsy may have speech problems, learning disabilities and other impairments.

Brachial Plexus

Brachial plexus injuries occur when the baby’s nerves in their upper spine, neck, shoulder, arm, and/or hand are damaged. Sometimes the damage is temporary, but other times, the child will have lifelong damage. Severe cases include complete paralysis.