Submit your Medical Malpractice claim details for a free, no obligation case review.
Get Started:
Child birth injury is defined as physical damage that is caused to the baby or the mother during labor or the delivery process. In developed countries, it is estimated that two to seven babies out of 1000 births suffers from a child birth injury. A child birth injury can be related to maternal or fetal health complications or the size and position of the baby during labor and delivery.
Child birth injury can also be the result of medical negligence or malpractice. Medical negligence is defined as a medical professional’s failure to use the degree of skill and care that would be used by a reasonable medical professional under similar circumstances. In terms of child birth injury, this negligence can include failure to adequately respond to the following circumstances: maternal or fetal bleeding, distress or anoxia (lack of oxygen), umbilical cord complications, the need for a cesarean section, infections, the anticipation of a large baby and related complications, and other maternal health complications.
Medical negligence can also be the cause of child birth injury when a doctor or other medical professional performs an unreasonably rough, traumatic, or unnecessary procedure which could include vacuum extraction, forceps delivery, episiotomy, and cesarean section. Child birth injury can result from any of these procedures, particularly when they are performed unnecessarily or inappropriately.
Caput succedaneum is a child birth injury that commonly occurs with vacuum delivery procedure. This child birth injury causes swelling and bruising in the scalp of a newborn. This swelling or bruising can be on any portion of the scalp and usually disappears within a few days without a problem. Cephalohematoma is a child birth injury that occurs when trauma to the newborn’s head causes bleeding under one of the cranial bones. If the extent of bleeding from this child birth injury is extensive, it could lead to jaundice in the infant.
Forceps can cause a number of child birth injury complications. Facial nerve damage and paralysis, skull fracture, intracranial hemorrhage, bleeding, bruising, and lacerations are all examples of a child birth injury that is more common with inadequate forceps delivery techniques. Risks to the mother from forceps delivery can also be significantly injurious and include lacerations, urinary tract infections, and rectum injury.
Brachial plexus palsy and cerebral palsy are more serious child birth injury complications that can lead to long term damage. Brachial palsy occurs during shoulder dystocia and causes nerve damage which impairs upper extremity function in a newborn. Cerebral palsy is the blanket term used to describe any child birth injury where brain damage causes impairment to motor functioning and other serious disability.
When medical negligence is responsible for child birth injury, the family of the victim has the legal right to seek compensation for the damages they suffered as a result of the child birth injury.
An Ohio woman was awarded more than $22 million for severe and permanent birth injuries sustained by her daughter in 1997.
After a five week...
The parents of a brain damaged young boy have settled a birth injury lawsuit against the University of Virginia Medical Center for $1.35 million. At ...
A 10-year-old boy who suffered injury at birth was recently awarded $19 million in damages by a Monmouth County jury.
Bonnie Kowalski filed ...