Birth injuries, also known as birth trauma, are something no parent wants to go through during this important and life-changing event. Unfortunately, they sometimes occur before or during childbirth.
Have you or someone you know experienced a birth injury? If so, the lawyers at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers can help you seek the compensation you may deserve.
What Are Birth Injuries?
No one wants to think of the possibility of their newborn obtaining an injury when they make their entrance into the world. Birth injuries are physical damage that typically occurs when a baby enters the birth canal or after delivery.
There is a broad spectrum of different types of birth injuries that can occur, and sometimes it’s not just the baby that becomes the victim. Mothers, too, can suffer from birth injuries if medical professionals fail to perform the proper care.
It is not uncommon for babies to undergo a mild form of birth injury during the delivery process. There are a lot of tools and practices that can accidentally injure a newborn, but then there are instances where the lack of professional medical care can negatively impact the child’s well-being.
If not treated immediately, some birth injuries can cause life-altering disabilities, such as a lack of oxygen. Brain injuries babies sustain during childbirth can also lead to a wide range of physical and mental impairments that can leave families to cope emotionally and drown in a heap of medical bills. Additionally, this can completely change a child’s quality of life.
Common Types of Birth Injuries
Not only are these birth injuries physical, but they can also lead to serious emotional disturbances as well. There are many common types of birth injuries newborns can experience and some can occur after the baby has been delivered.
Common types of birth injuries include:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Brachial Palsy
- Erb’s Palsy
- Facial Paralysis
- Fractures
- Kernicterus
- Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
- Brain bleeding
- Hydrocephalus
- Trauma
- Infections
- More
When a birth injury occurs, it can lead to serious developmental delays, and in the most severe cases, the impact can be permanent.
It’s important to note that most newborns experience some minor form of birth injuries that can heal independently. However, if you or someone you know has a newborn who suffered a severe, preventable birth injury, it’s time to seek legal justice.
Causes of Birth Injuries
So, what causes these birth injuries? They can happen in many ways, but they all tend to stem from medical negligence and/or the forceful or wrongful care performed upon the child.
Some birth injuries such as scalpel scrapes and bruising can occur when a doctor is trying to guide the baby out of the birth canal, and these injuries can heal on their own. However, the more complex birth injuries occur when there are issues going on with the baby that doctors fail to recognize quickly, which can lead to severe and permanent defects.
When a birth injury occurs, you never know when it can be severe and life-changing.
Let’s look at certain causes more specifically:
- Cerebral Palsy – this injury stems from abnormal brain development, which can happen at birth if there are umbilical cord problems, placenta problems, lack of treatment to the brain, or a wide range of other factors.
- Brachial Palsy – this attacks the nerves that help move the fingers and arms. Brachial Palsy occurs when there’s trouble delivering the baby’s shoulder during birth.
- Erb’s Palsy – this is similar to Brachial Palsy in the sense that it delays the movement of the baby’s hand, arm, and shoulder. It occurs when there’s significant pulling of the neck during delivery.
- Kernicterus – this injury is a permanent brain injury and can cause Cerebral Palsy. It’s where an excess of bilirubin is found in the baby’s blood when Jaundice is not taken care of properly.
- Hydrocephalus – this is extra fluid in the brain that can be treated if found in time.
These are just a handful of the countless birth injuries that can occur from the lack of medical professionalism. Birth injuries can cause birth trauma for the mother and baby to endure long after certain injuries heal.
Treatment for Birth Injuries
Some birth injuries have treatments to help the baby improve, but that doesn’t ignore the hardship that treatments can bring. Not only is this unexpected and shouldn’t have occurred in the first place, but it can also place more emotional and financial strain on families.
Treatments for some birth injuries can include:
- Surgeries – this is not what the parent of a newborn wants to hear after their child has experienced a birth injury, but some injuries will require surgery in order to heal. Most surgeries are for severe injuries pertaining to the brain, skull fractures, or other complex occurrences.
- Physical Therapy – this treatment might be an option when the baby sustains an injury such as Brachial or Erb’s Palsy where movements are delayed. Physical Therapy can help the baby retain their movement over a period of time.
- Medication – this is the most basic treatment but still has the potential to be costly. However, some medications can speed up the healing process of a birth injury.
- Hypothermia – this particular treatment is geared towards babies suffering from a brain birthing injury. This is where the baby is cooled to 92 degrees for 2 days to try and reverse the damage.
- Other treatments – there may be other forms of treatment as the baby grows older to help them learn and develop intellectually and emotionally.
The key to ensuring a treatment will work is to catch the birth injury early and find the right treatment as soon as possible.
Consistent treatments can become costly, and the team at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers want to help you seek compensation that can help pay for treatments and make up for the emotional damage. While most doctors do their best to provide proper care, accidents can occur during birth that leave permanent and long-lasting damages.
How To Find Out If You’re Eligible to File a Birth Injury Lawsuit
Have you or someone you know sustained a birth injury in Pompano Beach, Florida? If so, it’s time to take legal action to receive the justice you and your baby deserve.
To find out if you qualify to file a lawsuit against a medical practice, it’s important to find the right Pompano Beach Birth Injury Lawyer. Finding the right professional can help guide you in your legal journey to building a strong case against the medical facility and use the best strategies to help you seek compensation.
Seek Compensation with Frankl Kominsky
At Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers, we’re a team of dedicated legal professionals with over 40 years in the business helping the people of Pompano Beach, Florida, in their birth injury fight (by appointment only). We would be honored to help you build a case against the medical professionals that failed to give your child their proper medical care.
To start, call our office at (561) 800-8000 or fill out our online form to schedule your free consultation. We will review your case and bring you in to discuss with you the legal process and how we can best build your case to seek the compensation that you may deserve.
Get started with your case today by giving us a call.