BIRTH DEFECT INFORMATION
 The process of labor and delivery is highly complicated and extremely unpredictable. As parents, we trust that our doctors and medical professionals will guide us through the process of childbirth with the highest standards of care. Each doctor must be able to make split-second decisions to protect the health and safety of the newborn. It is when trained physicians fail to notice warning signs or deviate from the accepted standards of care that children are harmed unnecessarily.
The most serious birth injuries are those that affect a child's brain. A lack of oxygen during delivery (hypoxia), or bleeding within the skull or brain is usually what causes birth injuries and often results in irreversible brain damage. A shortage of oxygen can be caused by a number of things, including an unusual birth position, the placenta separating from the uterus wall too early, a problem with circulation in the umbilical cord, or a labor that is too long or too short. Most medical malpractice claims that stem from this cause of injury allege that doctors or medical professionals failed to anticipate, recognize or react to these dangerous scenarios. Use of excessive force, failure to properly anticipate the size of the child, and failure to order a C-section are other factors that can lead to birth injuries.
Numerous birth injuries are caused by mistakes made by doctors or hospitals during delivery. Birth injuries can occur if excessive force is applied in the delivery of a child or there is a delay in performing a necessary C-section delivery. Birth injuries can also occur if the delivery team fails to properly anticipate the size of a child, causing a turbulant delivery.
Birth injuries are most often caused by operative deliveries, whether vaginal or abdominal than spontaneous deliveries. Birth injuries have been reported to occur in 27 of 1,000 live births.
Common Birth Injuries are: Cerebral Palsy, Temporary Paralysis, Brain Damage, Erb's Palsy, Fractured Collar Bone, Klumpke's Palsy and Brachial Plexus Palsy.
|
