Birth trauma is an umbrella term used to denote injuries to the mother and infant that occur during child birth. Physical pressure, mechanical forces, and medical malpractice during the birth process carry the potential to cause cuts, fractures, organ and tissue damages and other injuries. Traumatic birth injury also includes the long term consequences felt due to non-congenital birth injuries at the time of delivery, such as cognitive impairment.
Types of Traumatic Birth Injuries
At least 5 percent mothers are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. While non-congenital injuries accompany 2 percent births in the United States about 29 in every 1,000 babies suffer from birth injury trauma mostly attributed to poor use of instruments or improper handling of a newborn by doctors or other medical staff. The most common and reported types of traumatic birth injury include the following.
- Bell’s Palsy: Also known as facial palsy, this was caused by injury to infant’s facial nerve. Use of forceps, excessive mechanical force, and pressure during birth canal passage can be the reasons. If the nerve is torn, surgery can be only option.
- Brachial plexus injury: Tugging bay’s shoulder too tightly to extract it during the delivery may cause injury to the nerve plexus connecting spinal cord with upper extremities. The injury cause impaired arm movement.
- Oxygen deprivation: Attributed to delayed delivery, umbilical cord entanglement, or premature placenta breakdown, this condition is a cited in many birth trauma lawsuit claims. Oxygen deprivation leads to cognitive disorders, brain damage, cerebral palsy, and number of impaired motor functions.
- Fractures: Most common birth trauma injuries, fractures occur due to excessive use of birth tools, doctor negligence, dropping of the newborn, and use of improper physical force during delivery.
- Scalp bruising: Known as caput succedaneum in the medical annals, the condition is attributed to use of vacuum extraction during the delivery. This more likely during long and difficult labor or when the baby’s head passes unprotected through the birth canal.
- Lumps in the head: Cephalohematoma or lumps in the head is attributed to blood buildup around the skull. Unless treated, these temporary lumps may result in jaundice.
- Bruising and broken bones: Physical and mechanical stress result in bruising in the head, face, and other areas of an infant’s body. As the child passes through the birth canal, it may get struck in the pelvis and incur injuries to bones, especially when birth-assisting tools are excessively used or the baby is tugged forcefully.
- Forceps injuries: Marks of forceps on head, face and other body parts of the baby may occur when too much pressure is exerted using them.
- Failure of doctors to be cautious despite knowing a preexisting risk
- Failure to ensure required medical treatment soon after the child birth
- Botched c-section delivery
Do I Have A Birth Trauma Injury Lawsuit?
Every year hundreds of birth trauma claims are filed claiming error during the delivery process. No doubt birth trauma is avoidable with risk analysis and implementation of protective measures in the light of existing conditions.
A significant percentage of child birth injury lawsuits involve harms to newborns linked to errors, such
- improper use of medical equipment
- error in treating fetal distress and preventing oxygen distress
- error in diagnosing uterine rupture
- inappropriate treatment of postpartum hemorrhage
- delay in performing cesarean section
- misreading of conditions and symptoms
- failing to detect placental abruption timely
- violation of the standard care for obstetrical patients
- failing to identify and treat preeclampsia timely
Pease contact us or call on 1-800-632-1404 to have a free evaluation of your claim and consultation with our experienced birth injury attorney.
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