| BIRTH
INJURY
Has your child suffered a
birth injury?
Complications in the process
of labor and delivery can result in a wide variety of
problems for a newborn baby. These problems, known collectively
as birth injuries, can be mild or severe.
One major cause is oxygen
deprivation, which commonly occurs when the umbilical
cord is compressed or twisted in the birth process.
The other main cause is mechanical trauma, which may
occur when the baby assumes an unusual position at the
time of birth (buttocks rather than head first, for
example) or when the baby is too large to pass through
the birth canal easily.
Numerous birth injuries
are caused by mistakes made by doctors or hospitals
during delivery. Birth injuries can occur if excessive
force is applied in the delivery of a child or there
is a delay in performing a necessary C-section delivery.
Birth injuries can also occur if the delivery team fails
to properly anticipate the size of a child, causing
a turbulent delivery.
Birth injuries are most
often caused by operative deliveries, whether vaginal
or abdominal than spontaneous deliveries. Birth injuries
have been reported to occur in 27 of 1,000 live births.
Common Birth Injuries:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Skin Irritation
- Temporary Paralysis
- Brain Damage
- Erb's Palsy
- Fractured Collar
Bone
- Klumpke's Palsy
- Brachial Plexus
Palsy
The most serious birth
injuries are those that affect the brain. They are caused
by oxygen deprivation or bleeding within the skull or
brain. These injuries vary greatly in severity. They
may lead to long-term seizure disorders or cause cerebral
palsy or mental retardation.
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