Does My Child Have a Birth Injury?
It is important to diagnose and treat birth injuries as soon as possible. Left untreated, birth injuries can lead to developmental problems, brain trauma, and even paralysis. There are several action symptoms that can be observed while your baby is still in the hospital that immediately indicate a birth injury. An arched back while crying, breathlessness, excessive drooling, lethargy, light sensitivity, and seizures are just a few.
Health related symptoms include anemia, fever, hearing loss, low heart rate, low oxygen in the blood, persistent coughing, poor weight gain, wheezing, and jaundice. In most birth injury cases, babies will exhibit both action and health-related symptoms.
Muscle and bone symptoms are common side effects and indicating factors for a birth injury. Skull fractures, spasms, weak movements, curled up hands, and favoring one side of the body are a few muscle and bone symptoms that should bring concern.
What If My Child Does Not Display Immediate Birth Injury Symptoms?
Not all birth injuries are immediately apparent. Often birth injuries do not present symptoms until the child begins to miss important developmental milestones. Delays in motor skill development, intellectual and memory disabilities, speech problems, and an inability to walk normally are failed developmental milestones children with birth injures will experience.
Some children live with an undiagnosed birth injury until they begin attending school. Asperger’s syndrome, ADD/ADHD, and autism are brain disorders that cause behavioral problems and learning hindrances in the classroom. These symptoms are usually noticed first by the child’s teacher. Controversy exists around the diagnosis of these disorders, but research has shown that 60-80% of children with Asperger’s syndrome, ADD/ADHD, and autism suffered minor birth trauma during delivery.
What Causes Birth Injuries?
Birth injuries can occur when a delivering doctor is negligent during the labor process or misuses birth assisting tools. Untreated infection, neonatal anemia, incompatible mother-baby blood types, and maternal hemorrhage are examples of physician negligence that can lead to birth injuries. Birthing tools can pull an infant’s head back and compress nerves, tear cranial membranes, and hinder fluid from reaching parts of the brain needed for controlling emotions and behavior.
Birth injuries can lead to a lifetime of debilitating behavioral and health problems. A child who would have been able to lead a healthy and normal life may instead be forced to live with limited physical abilities and remain dependent on others. Physicians and medical staff that are negligent and careless should be held responsible for their actions that so drastically affect an innocent child and their family.
If you believe your child has been the victim of a birth injury or trauma, a Biloxi birth injury lawyer can help. Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law, is experienced in handling complicated birth injury claims and is committed to holding responsible parties accountable. Our legal team believes that every child is entitled to a life of full potential. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation of your case.
