January 21, 2025 Birth Injury
Having a baby should be one of life’s most joyful moments, but careless medical professionals can make this time a tragedy. If your child suffered an injury during birth, you’re not alone. While comprehensive data on birth injuries remains limited, certain types of injuries show up more often than others in legal cases. Let’s look at some of the most common birth injuries that affect families like yours.
When a baby doesn’t get enough oxygen during birth, even for a short time, it can cause brain damage—one of the most serious birth injuries you might face. Your child may develop cerebral palsy, struggle with developmental delays, or face cognitive challenges that affect their daily life. These injuries can require long-term care and support, affecting your family for years to come.
If you have noticed your baby has trouble moving their arm, it could be due to a brachial plexus injury. These injuries happen when the nerve network running from the spine through the neck and into the arm gets damaged during delivery, often from pulling too hard on the baby’s head and neck. Your child might experience weakness, numbness, or in some cases, paralysis in the affected arm.
Shoulder dystocia occurs when a baby’s shoulders become lodged behind the mother’s pubic bone during delivery. Without proper handling, your baby could suffer nerve damage, broken bones, or not get enough oxygen—all of which can have lasting effects. Shoulder dystocia is one of the most common causes of Erb’s palsy, a condition where the nerves controlling the shoulder, arm, and hand become damaged.
Sometimes doctors use forceps to help deliver babies, but these tools must be used with extreme care. When forceps are misapplied or used with excessive force, a baby can suffer facial injuries, skull fractures, or brain damage. Unfortunately, not all medical professionals follow proper safety protocols when using these potentially dangerous instruments.
Similar to forceps, vacuum extractors pose significant risks when not used correctly. These devices attach to the baby’s head using suction to help guide them through the birth canal during difficult deliveries. Vacuum extractors can cause scalp injuries, bleeding within the skull, or even life-threatening brain damage.
Spinal cord injuries during birth can change your child’s life forever. These injuries may result from excessive pulling or twisting during delivery. Damage to the spinal cord can cause partial or complete paralysis, affecting your child’s movement and bodily functions permanently.
If your child was injured during birth, you are likely feeling overwhelmed, worried about the future, and unsure where to turn. The doctor responsible for your child’s injuries and suffering deserves to be held accountable, and filing a lawsuit can help secure the compensation your family needs for medical care and ongoing support.
A Las Vegas, Nevada birth injury lawyer can help shoulder some of the burden and guide you through your claim. They can gather medical evidence to build your case, work with medical experts to prove negligence occurred, and calculate the full extent of damages your family has suffered. Schedule a free legal consultation today and begin your journey to justice for your baby.
