Birth injuries are almost always preventable and avoidable. Whether caused by a medication or by the actions of a doctor or nurse during delivery, thousands of infants have been faced with birth injuries.

Birth Injury Causes

According to BirthInjuryGuide.org, the following are the most common ways birth injuries occur:

• Improper pulling and/or twisting of the infant during delivery
• Forceps or vacuum extraction tool misuse
• Harmful amount or type of medication given to the mother during pregnancy or labor
• Failure to adequately monitor the infant for distress, such as monitoring fetal heartbeat
• Failure to perform an emergency cesarean surgery.

Types of Birth Injuries

Brachial plexus is a birth injury in which nerve damage occurs in the upper arm and neck area. It may be caused by doctors applying too much force with forceps during delivery. Forceps misuse may also lead to skull or facial injuries.

Sometimes, an infant may experience an oxygen deprivation birth injury. This may take the form of cerebral palsy, seizures, or brain trauma. Oxygen deprivation may influence the growth and development of an infant. This kind of birth defect can be caused by doctors failing to realize the baby’s condition or by problems with the umbilical cord, including having the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby’s neck.

If a baby is born feet first, in a breached position, then he or she is at risk for skull injuries and broken bones if the doctor does not take some immediate course of action.

Bone fractures in the collar bone or femur are also birth injury possibilities.

Birth injuries may also be caused by doctors not prescribing the correct medication or pre-natal vitamins or not performing the correct tests.

Signs of Birth Injuries

These are some of the potential signs of a birth injury:

• Overall decrease in strength and stamina
• Lack of nerve sensation/response
• Cognitive and/or emotional impairment
• Bones failing to develop normally
• Osteoarthritis
• Emotional and psychological problems

Some birth defects may be treated if detected immediately or go away on their own. Many, unfortunately, may lead to lifelong health problems for the child.

Birth Injury Lawsuits

Birth injuries may cost parents extensive medical bills involving treatment, therapy, and other care as well as emotional distress. Birth injury lawsuits have been filed, seeking to win compensation to pay for these extreme costs. Cerebral palsy, for example, can cost as much as $1 million to treat over the course of a child’s life.

Birth injury lawsuits may be filed against doctors for medical negligence. However, it is important to note that not all birth injuries are caused by medical malpractice.