Birth Injury Attorneys

Birth injury usually results from complications during delivery, although in some cases, medical malpractice is involved.

Causes of Birth Injury

While medical malpractice may be the cause of your child's birth injury, complications that can occur during labor and result in birth injury include:

• Fetal distress
• Seizures
• Breech or malpresentation: a delivery that occurs feet or buttocks first
• Shoulder dystocia: a complication in which the infant's shoulder is caught behind the mother's pelvic bone

Types of Birth Injury

Two types of birth injuries that occur due to complications during labor and delivery are cerebral palsy and brachial plexus palsy.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a condition in which an individual has trouble controlling their muscles as a result of brain damage. Cerebral palsy can occur due to damage sustained before or shortly after birth. This includes developmental brain malformation, bleeding in the brain, and a shortage of oxygen at birth.

Brachial Plexus Palsy

Also known as Erb's palsy, brachial plexus palsy is a condition characterized by damage to the nerves that connect the spinal cord to the shoulder, wrist, and arm. Brachial plexus palsy is the result of shoulder dystocia which occurs at birth if the infant's shoulder is caught behind the pelvic bone of the mother. Attempts to dislodge the shoulder may cause excess stretching and tear the nerves.

Consult a Birth Injury Attorney

If your child has suffered a birth injury, contact a birth injury attorney for more information.