Causes of Birth Injury
There are few injuries as tragic as those that occur to innocent babies as they are just being born into this world. What makes these injuries especially tragic is that the victims of birth injury have no voice with which to assert their rights or protect themselves. They are truly helpless.
This is where the personal injury attorneys of The Tawwater Law Firm come in. Our skilled, experienced lawyers can provide you with the aggressive representation you need if your child was harmed by the negligence of the medical team assigned to assist with his or her birth. We can use all of the resources at our disposal to investigate the cause of the birth injury and present the strongest case possible on your behalf. Rest assured that we will fight for the rights of your injured child.
We invite you to read about the following common causes of birth injury collected by our Oklahoma City, OK personal injury lawyers and then contact our law firm to arrange for an evaluation of your birth injury case.
What are the most common causes of birth injury?
Any number of factors can cause a child to become injured during birth; not all of these can be prevented. However, when medical professionals fail to respond to common complications that their competent peers could reasonably be expected to respond to during the birthing process, and the child is injured due to this failure, those professionals may be held liable for the resulting injuries.
Common causes of birth injury include:
- Birth asphyxia: Clinically known as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, this refers to the deprivation of oxygen and blood flow to the baby’s brain during birth. This often results in either the death of the baby or brain damage. It is often caused by problems with the umbilical cord or the placenta, breech, or trauma to the brain.
- Brain bleeds: Brain bleeds and hemorrhages often occur due to the failure to order a necessary C-section, which could have prevented the forceful removal of baby’s head through a pelvis too small to accommodate it. Other causes include trauma from misuse of forceps and vacuum extractors and blood pressure issues. Brain bleeds and hemorrhages often result in cerebral palsy and other serious birth injuries.
- Inadequate fetal monitoring: A heart rate of more than 160 or less than 110 is among the possible signs of fetal distress. If signs of fetal distress are not properly interpreted and acted upon, the baby can suffer a birth injury or even be lost.
- Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose a fetal or maternal infection: Timely diagnosis and treatment of infections such as sepsis, meningitis, encephalitis, and pneumonia are essential to the health of both mother and child.
Arrange for an Evaluation of Your Birth Injury Case
First, if your child has suffered a birth injury, please accept our condolences. We encourage you to contact The Tawwater Law Firm today to arrange for an evaluation of your birth injury case.
