How to Care for an Infant With a Birth Injury

Conception is a celebration of life and the beginning of a family. Unfortunately, there are circumstances that can lead to birth defects and birth injuries brought on by issues in medical care and potentially during delivery.

This leaves families to deal with additional medical costs and health problems for their newborns and questions about the steps ahead. It's important to not only understand how to provide care for an infant that has suffered a birth injury, but also when to look into potential legal action for medical malpractice.

What Is a Birth Injury?

A birth injury is a physical injury suffered by an infant during childbirth. These incidents are common in such cases as the following.

• The baby is not headfirst in the birth canal
• Difficult or lengthy labor
• Cesarean delivery
• The mother has poor health, such as high blood pressure or issues with weight
• Devices, like forceps, are used for delivery
• Premature birth

Birth injuries, or birth trauma, are not really on the radar among the issues to consider before getting pregnant. However, they can lead to long-standing health conditions like nerve damage to the infant's face, arms, or hands. It could also lead to a potential brain injury or brain damage brought on by bruising or swelling of the baby's head. A healthy baby could also suffer internal bleeding, and even broken bones, during delivery.

Considering a Birth Injury Case

Birth injuries can lead to longstanding medical conditions that could complicate things for your infant as they grow older, meaning more money out of pocket depending on your insurance company. A birth injury lawyer in Chicago recommends pursuing a personal injury claim and birth injury lawsuit based on prenatal care and delivery, as it links to possible medical negligence.

If a gynecologist failed to properly assess risk factors upon a mother's conception, that could have created an emergency situation that led to difficulties during delivery. It's possible that a physician also failed to diagnose a pregnancy-related disorder, such as gestational diabetes or preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a type of high blood pressure that can divert oxygen-rich blood from the newborn, leading to potential brain damage.

Personal injury lawyers have also found that Cesarean births, usually recommended by obstetricians if a baby becomes breached or too large for vaginal delivery, have been linked to birth trauma. Cuts and lacerations have occurred during C-sections, in some cases requiring stitches for newborns. In severe birth injury cases, a baby can suffer permanent disfigurement if the Cesarean is performed incorrectly. Potential injuries include the amputation of fingers or organ damage leading to permanent disability for an infant.

At-Home Care

Caring for an infant with a birth injury can become a round-the-clock situation depending on the severity of the injury and the limitations of the child as they grow older. In some cases, parents may have to undertake home renovations that are far more costly than paying to prepare your house for cold weather.

For example, a child with spina bifida may be confined to a wheelchair, forcing renovations like the widening of door frames, potential installation of a chair lift in a multi-level home, as well as accessibility ramps to gain entry into the house. Experienced birth injury lawyers recommend filing claims for injuries stemming from the birth to cover the cost of these renovations or costs of purchasing a new home.

Case management can also become an issue, as some infants may require medical staff 24/7 with live-in nursing care and other accessible healthcare professionals. For example, medical malpractice cases are recommended for a child with epilepsy resulting from birth trauma, as this requires immediate medical attention that people cannot afford through insurance alone. This includes other therapies and medical expenses to treat disabilities and ailments over time.

There are care options for all manner of birth injuries, but it's worth pursuing justice when these injuries are caused by the negligent actions of medical professionals or other parties.