Birth injuries can be very stressful to parents especially if it is severe and needs lifelong care. New Jersey birth injury lawyer Adam Rosengard says that most severe birth injuries are caused by medical negligence during the delivery process and it needs legal action. It is only fair that the parents get the maximum compensation to cater all the medical needs of their child, but this is a complex process and it needs an expert lawyer to investigate the case. Hiring an expert birth injury lawyer can be very beneficial to guide you through the legal process of your claim and will give you great insights on what are the forms of compensation you can get to be able to meet the financial needs for medical treatment of your injured child.
There are many different ways to suffer an injury during the birthing process. Some injuries occur naturally, while other more severe injuries are caused by the negligence of the medical staff attending your birthing. If you suspect that your medical team has created damage, you need to consult a medical negligence lawyer right away.
Make sure you find an attorney that specializes in birth injury law. It is a complex process that requires a higher level of expertise than a regular personal injury attorney will have. If negligence is found to be the case, you are entitled to a settlement to help you cover the medical expenses.
You could potentially need life long care, depending on the severity of the injury sustained. Here are five of the most common birth injuries that occur.
Erb’s Palsy
Erb’s Palsy or Brachial Plexus is an injury that occurs when the group of nerves in your shoulder and neck get pushed away from each other. When this happens, it disrupts the communication between the spinal cord and your neck, shoulder, arm, and hand.
This injury occurs most often when larger infants become lodged against the pelvis. When this happens, force may be needed to help extract the baby. But when excessive force is used, this can result in Erb’s Palsy.
Often infants with this will have to attend physical therapy to help with the range of motion on the affected side of the body. In extreme cases, it can cause uneven growth of limbs, which would require expensive medical procedures to help correct this.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is a severe birth injury that is too common of an occurrence. Cerebral Palsy occurs from brain damage from lack of oxygen to the brain or trauma sustained during the birthing process.
Cerebral Palsy affects muscle control and will usually worsen as the child begins to grow. This can affect the child’s ability to walk, learn, and even communicate. There are multiple different types of Cerebral Palsy that range in severity.
Fetal Macrosomia
This refers to infants that are incredibly high risk for birth injuries due to their size. This is typically a baby that is expected to weigh over 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Because of their larger size, they are at risk for complications during vaginal delivery. For this reason, many medical professionals opt to do a c-section to help mitigate the risk.
Umbilical Cord Strangulation
There are many instances where you hear about a baby being born with the cord wrapped around its neck. When this becomes apparent via ultrasound, many doctors will elect to do an emergency delivery or c-section. In severe cases, this can result in Umbilical Cord Strangulation, which can cause severe brain damage and even death.
Asphyxia
Oxygen deprivation during the birthing process can have severe and even fatal results. This asphyxia is referring to suffocation inside the mother. When this occurs, a c-section should happen immediately when it becomes apparent that the baby is suffering due to a lack of oxygen.
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