A cerebral palsy birth injury may be preventable in some, but not all, cases. Childbirth is a difficult process even with the best and most expert care. There are also intrauterine developmental causes that may interfere with the normal development of the child’s brain. These could range from pure genetics to prenatal maternal drug abuse or malnutrition.

Cerebral palsy is diagnosed in childhood and the full extent of it may take several years from the time of birth to ascertain. This makes the determination of whether the cause was a cerebral palsy birth injury even more difficult.

The top three risk factors that increase the likelihood of cerebral palsy birth injury are maternal high blood pressure, maternal systemic infection, and a slowing or interference with oxygen and/or blood flow to the fetus via abnormal placental development or placement. In terms of abnormal placental development of placement, umbilical cord issues such as constraint may also emerge.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

According to cerebralpalsyguide.com, there are several disorders that can be blanketed under the term cerebral palsy. The disorders have one thing in common and that is the ability to sustain and control motor movement to different degrees in varying areas of the body.

The word cerebral identifies the cerebrum, the part of the brain that controls our ability to move. Palsy means paralysis or the lack of ability to voluntarily do something.

What are the Different Causes of Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury?

There are four different causes cerebral palsy birth injury: Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE); Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL); Intracranial hemorrhage; and cerebral dysgenesis. If a fetus experiences HIE, it means that he/she had a decrease in the delivery of blood or oxygen to their brain near or during childbirth.

Unfortunately, brain cells die when they are deprived of necessary blood and oxygen and the first place this occurs is in the motor cortex area of the brain. This injury can be prevented with top-notch medical care and staff monitoring all aspects of maternal and fetal vital signs.

The second cause is periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and it is also caused by a lack of blood flow and hence oxygen to the white matter of the brain made up of nerves that send motor action messages.

A lack of functionality of the placenta through its placement or development can interfere with blood flow. Maternal infections can also be a root cause. This is part of pregnancy and not necessarily a faulty delivery.

Intracranial hemorrhage is bleeding in the brain secondary to a stroke. This can happen because the blood vessels in the child’s brain become blocked or are ill-formed. The mother’s high blood pressure and infections are frequently the cause, as is placenta malformation. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is a huge contributor to intracranial hemorrhage.

Cerebral dysgenesis is at its heart the abnormal development of the fetal brain from the start. This as well can be from infections or placental blood and oxygen flow. Abnormal force to the head during birth via forceps or vacuum removal and mishandling can contribute to this condition leading to Cerebral Palsy birth injury.

Do you feel your child sustained a cerebral palsy birth injury because of medical malpractice? Raising a special needs child can be taxing, both emotionally and financially, and no parent should have to suffer through this. Sometimes it takes an attorney to determine whether you have a case.