4 Types of Birth Injury and Their Symptoms

There are many types of birth injuries that both the mother and child can suffer during the delivery process or gestation. While some are genetic, others can be caused due to a doctor’s negligence or medical error. From paralysis to brain damage due to lack of oxygen, the extent of an injury can fluctuate and have long term consequences for your child, partner, or self. To learn more about four types of birth injuries and their symptoms, read on.

1. Birth Canal and Oxygen Deprivation Injuries

One of the most common injuries birth injury lawyers in Chicago see are caused due to a lack of oxygen during the birthing process. Umbilical cord injuries, such as a cord collapsing or tying in a knot during delivery are an example of how a baby could suffer brain damage or a brain injury during a traumatic birth.

Long term symptoms for infants deprived of oxygen can include developmental delays, the loss of cognitive function, and a variety of speech and other vital issues. Depending on how long your child was deprived of oxygen and how severe their injury is, you’ll need various supports going forward. Where some babies manage to overcome developmental delays as they grow, others will need extra supports throughout their lifetime due to a birth canal injury when a lack of oxygen to the fetus is involved.

2. Forceps Injuries

Some babies are hurt during the birth process due to the use of forceps. Fractured skulls and paralysis are both issues a child can face due to doctor negligence in an emergency delivery. If this has happened to your baby, you’ll want to do a Google search for a rehabilitation program for children near you. Occupational and physical therapists will be able to help your child learn to use equipment or other aids to work around their permanent disability.

Maybe your child was hurt in the birth process and has a spinal cord injury that will mean the use of a wheelchair. The same way you would search for a cardiologist with a search like ‘best cardiologist near me,’ you’ll search online for a medical professional to address your child’s injury. MediFind is a fantastic tool to find specialists in your area who will be able to help regardless of you or your child’s medical condition.

3. Prenatal Injuries

Some infants suffer from injuries due to the lack of prenatal care or poor prenatal care and prenatal diagnoses. These babies are often born far too soon and need serious medical intervention to keep them alive. Premature babies can spend months in a NICU, suffer from seizures and brain damage, and experience milestone and developmental delays throughout their lives.

4. Wrongful Death

Sadly, some children are stillborn due to a doctor’s error during a difficult delivery process. Whether it’s poor monitoring or the wrong or too slow decision about when to give a cesarean section or a host of other poor medical choices, babies can die in the birth canal, during birth, or shortly after birth. Parents who experience this tragic loss should do all they can to get help from professional therapists and friends and family. For parents who’ve suffered a wrongful death birth injury to their child, it can be traumatic to ever consider pregnancy again, and they can struggle for years with choices around building their family.

Unfortunately, pregnancy complications can happen to anyone. At the end of the day, birth injuries and wrongful deaths are traumatic events. If you or someone you love has suffered from a birth injury, and you believe it might be due to medical error, contact a birth injury lawyer now. Most birth injury attorneys will give you a free consultation to go over your legal options. By having a strong support system and legal team, you’ll be in a better position to manage the trauma of a hard birth and birth injury going forward.