Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyer
Every year, hundreds of babies are born in greater Philadelphia without any complications. But for a few Philadelphia families, birth injuries take away some of the happiness and excitement they feel about a new baby. A birth injury is any injury the child sustains during the birthing process because of medical mistakes. A genetic problem is not a birth injury, but if the baby is hurt by misuse of forceps, failure to monitor vital signs or other mistakes by doctors and nurses, that baby and his or her family should consider calling an experienced Philadelphia birth injury attorney at Rosenbaum & Associates.
What Is a Birth Injury?
As stated, a birth injury occurs during the birthing process and are often the result of a trauma during the delivery process. They can vary from minor injuries to long term medical conditions that require lengthy hospital stays and overall lifetime care. Birth injuries can result from the following:
- Untimely C-sections
- Misused forceps during delivery
- Failure to monitor vital signs
- Oxygen deprivation during labor & delivery
- High prescription drug dosages taken before delivery
Alert medical professionals can discover and respond to many of these problems, with the careful use of monitoring and management of high-risk pregnancies. But when doctors fail to take basic precautions and children are injured before their lives even begin, families should consider a birth injury claim in Philadelphia.
What Risk Factors Lead to An Increase in Birth Complications?
There are various factors that increase the risk of a birth injury. While premature delivery can increase the risk, infants lager than 4500g are more susceptible to shoulder dystocia. Excessive traction put on the baby’s head or neck during the delivery could increase the risk of a birth injury. Other factors to consider include:
- Feet-first delivery
- Large fetal head
- Prolonged delivery
Aside from the delivery process, the mother’s structure could have an impact on the birthing process. The size of the mother’s pelvis is not adequate for a child birth and can cause complications if the doctors to not prepare accordingly.
Common Birth Injuries
The most serious birth injuries have to do with damage to the baby’s brain. Before birth, babies “breathe” through the umbilical cord. If that cord is compressed for more than a few moments during the birth, the child can be deprived of oxygen, resulting in brain damage or cerebral palsy, a lifelong condition causing physical or mental disabilities. Another common cause of birth injuries is overuse of forceps and vacuum extraction tools. These can cause physical damage when used too harshly on the baby’s skull. Forceps can also lead to brachial plexus injuries, which can leave the baby’s arm partially or fully disabled. In the aftermath of a medical mistake at birth or complicated delivery, common brain injuries include:
- Cerebral Palsy- Brain damage can trigger a group of disorders that affect one’s motor function capabilities.
- Brachial plexus injury (Erb’s Palsy)- This is an injury to the nerves in a baby’s neck, leading to weakness in the shoulders or arms
- Spina Bifida- This occurs when the embryonic neural tube, which develops into the the spine and brain, fails to seal before birth.
There are indicators a parent should look out for that could be a sign of a birth injury. Clues that your child may have suffered a birth injury include: blue skin color at delivery, required resuscitation at delivery, seizures post delivery, organ dysfunction, presense of bruises, or when a cool cap is applied.
Experienced Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyer
At Rosenbaum & Associates, we offer free consultations, so potential clients can ask us about the strength and value of their cases with no further obligation or charge. You are always welcome to contact a Philadelphia birth injury attorney online or call us toll–free at 1–800–753–4257.