Mentally and Emotionally Coping with Birth Injury

A birth should be a joyful occasion. Throughout your pregnancy, you dreamed of meeting your new child, of counting her perfect little toes and kissing her little button nose. You picked out sweet little outfits for your baby’s trip home and the first visit with the grandparents. You pictured the things you’d do together, how you’d share your interests and teach her the things you learned from your mom. And then the birth happened…and it didn’t go as expected.
When a brain injury at birth occurs, a mother’s world is shattered. Parenting a newborn is challenging in itself, but when the birth injury affects a baby’s brain, parents are faced with a greater set of challenges. You may wonder if your child will be need lifelong care, if your child will ever live a normal life, and if your pregnancy dreams will ever come true. Instead of celebrating, you may want to hide from the world.
Parents often blame themselves for the disabilities resulting from birth injuries. You may wonder, “Is it my fault? Should I have done something different during pregnancy or delivery? Could I have prevented this?”
The truth is that a birth brain injury is never a mother’s fault. Birth injuries occur in five to seven out of every 1,000 births. They are most often associated with physician negligence during a difficult labor and delivery. Yes, the injury could possibly have been prevented, but it is the healthcare provider, not the parent, who is most likely at fault.
Coping with a serious birth is very stressful and very difficult. It can be hard for a family to cope alone. Many parents find that joining a support group and meeting parents in similar situations can help both emotionally and practically. Parents in a support group can offer their solutions to the same struggles that you are going through and they can provide resources to help you learn about your child’s medical condition and how the doctors and nurses could have prevented it.
A support group can help you realize that you are not to blame. A Dallas birth injury lawyer can help you get accountability. Birth injuries are a type of Texas medical malpractice. You have the right to seek financial compensation for your child’s injury, including monetary damages for your child’s medical bills and future medical needs. To learn more, request a free copy of our guide, The Epidemic of Birth Injuries Caused by Medical Mistakes, or contact the Dallas birth injury attorneys at the Rasansky Law Firm at (214) 651-6100.