Facts About Birth Injuries

The facts, realities, and causes of birth injuries.

The term birth injury is used in reference to an injury that occurs during the labor and delivery process.  It is perhaps one of the biggest fears a pregnant woman has and that apprehension definitely has some validity. While advancements in medicine have dramatically reduced the risk of child injury over the years, the incidence is still approximately seven out of every 1000 births.
See more birth injury statistics here.

What are the main types of birth injury?

Among the most common types of child injury during delivery are bruising and bleeding beneath the cranial bones, bone fracture and nerve damage, often to the upper arm. Additional risk includes blood flow and/or oxygen being cut off to the baby during delivery, causing cerebral palsy and/or brain damage.

Will my child's injury go away?

Birth injuries do not always lead to serious and lasting harm to the child. Many of them will heal on their own with no medical intervention. In some incidences, however, birth injuries result in chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy, Erb's palsy, or Klumpke's palsy. Of these, cerebral palsy is probably the most concerning, as the others do sometimes improve or resolve. Cerebral palsy can affect coordination, reflexes, gait, muscle tone and mental capabilities. In a study among six countries the incidence of cerebral palsy was estimated to be between 2.12 - 2.45 cases per 1000 births.

What causes birth injury?

Birth injury can occur for a number of different reasons. In some cases the child's head is too large to fit through the mother's pelvis. Other times the placenta become detached prematurely or the umbilical cord is compressed or twisted. Also, when a physician uses forceps or a vacuum during a vaginal birth, injury to the brain can result. In many of these instances time is of the essence. The doctor is responsible for knowing when a cesarian section is necessary in order to avoid injury to the child.
There is no way to completely eliminate the risk of birth injury, but some risk factors that can lead to trouble during child birth are drawn out labor, atypical positioning of the baby, an incorrect dosage of Pitocin given to the mother, larger than average sized baby, premature birth and the use of forceps or vacuum.
Expectant parents tend to anticipate a relatively smooth birth process and a healthy baby. In the majority of cases this will be the outcome. Sadly, there are some instances where birth injury and possible lasting effects will result. If you or a loved one has a child affected by a condition that was caused by birth injury and you believe it resulted from negligence on the part of the medical staff we can offer a free assessment of your case. We have extensive knowledge in this area and will be happy to advise you of your options.  Please take a moment to fill out our short form. or call the Rasansky Law Firm today at (214) 651-6100 and speak with one of our highly trained Dallas birth injury attorneys.