5 Signs Your Child Suffered A Preventable Birth Injury

In the United States, approximately 7 out of every 1,000 babies born will suffer a birth injury, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For some babies, these catastrophic birth injuries are preventable and cause serious complications for the rest of their lives. Parents and caregivers may fear that certain signs their baby is showing or things they are failing to do mean they suffered a birth injury.

If your child did suffer a preventable birth injury, your family may have a malpractice case against the medical care team and hospital that helped deliver your child. A birth injury lawyer will be able to determine if medical negligence occurred.

What’s The Difference Between A Birth Defect And A Birth Injury?

A birth defect is something your baby is born with because of a DNA mutation or harm that happened during development before or while the mother was pregnant. A birth injury is when something goes wrong before or during labor. Unfortunately, many birth injuries occur due to medical malpractice or negligence. If that is the case with your child, you may have grounds for a birth injury lawsuit.

What Signs Should I Look For To Check If My Child Suffered A Preventable Birth Injury?

If you’re worried that your baby suffered a preventable birth injury, look out for these five signs:

Your Child Is Showing Signs Of Developmental Delays
Babies typically develop new skills or hit certain milestones during the same time period as other babies their age. This range may be a couple of months, but if your child’s development is outside the recommended range, there could be a problem. For example, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that at two months old, a baby starts to smile and turn their head toward sounds. If your child fails to do these things, it could be a sign of a more significant issue like cerebral palsy or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). These delays can be cognitive or motor delays caused by a traumatic and preventable injury during birth.

Your Baby Has Limpness In Their Arm And Limited Movement
If your baby is showing signs that one of their arms is limp, has limited movement or is paralyzed, or if the show signs that they have lost sensation in their arms, hands, or fingers, they could be showing signs of Erb’s palsy, which at times can be prevented. Erb’s palsy, also known as brachial plexus birth palsy, occurs when the baby suffers an injury to the brachial plexus (a complex network of nerves between the neck and shoulders) during labor. It could be the result of medical error or negligence if the doctor failed to recognize the shoulder dystocia that led to Erb’s palsy. Errors using forceps or vacuum during vaginal labor can also cause this condition. According to OrthoInfo, 2 out of every 1,000 births in the United States will result in a baby having Erb’s palsy,.

Your Child Has Severe Behavioral Issues
If your child suffered a preventable birth injury, they may show aggression toward others, have a severe lack of social interaction, or inflict self-harm. They may also make repetitive body movements, stare at strange things, fail to pick-up objects in front of their face, or fail to make eye contact. These signs could all be indicative of a serious brain injury.

Your Child Doesn’t Respond To Loud Noises or Starts To Make Unnatural Noises
Some signs that your child is having issues are if they don’t start responding to verbal prompts, they do not begin speaking during the recommended CDC milestone guidelines, speech digresses, they favor listening with one ear, or they start to talk loudly or yell.

Your Child’s Head Appears Much Smaller than Normal
If your child’s head appears much smaller than other babies their age, your baby may be suffering from microcephaly, which can be caused by a birth injury. Microcephaly is when the baby’s head is very small. This can cause developmental issues. Microcephaly can occur while in the womb because of an infection or exposure to toxins or if blood supply or oxygen is cut off to the baby during labor, it can also occur. You may have a medical malpractice case if your baby was deprived of blood or oxygen while under the care of the labor and delivery team.

What Should I Do If I Think My Child's Birth Injury Was Preventable?

If your child is showing signs that they suffered a preventable birth trauma, reach out to your pediatrician right away. After your child is in the care of a trusted doctor, call the nationally recognized law firm of Ross Feller Casey to schedule a free consultation with an experienced birth injury attorney.

Ross Feller Casey’s team has vast experience winning large awards for birth injury. The costs of childcare and medical care for birth-injured babies can overwhelm families and prevent birth injured babies from reaching their full potential. We have a team of doctors on our staff to help consult with your case, review your child's medical records, and help us win you the largest sum possible. We want to help you provide for your child who suffered, so we don’t get paid unless we win your case. With our help, your family will not be alone to shoulder the weight of caring for a birth injury in your baby.