Many new moms are overwhelmed with joy after they give birth, even amidst the challenges of caring for a newborn. However, all newborns are not healthy at birth. Some newborns, while seemingly healthy during the birthing process, experience brachial plexus injury at birth and other birth injuries at the hands of doctors and other medical personnel.

Doctors, hospitals, and other medical professionals can be held accountable for the birth injuries of your newborn, including brachial plexus injury at birth.

What is Brachial Plexus Injury at Birth?

When babies go through the birth process, many times that child is unintentionally injured during birth. If this happens, it can be deemed medical malpractice and those who were responsible for brachial plexus injury at birth or other birth injuries can be held responsible through a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Brachial plexus injury at birth is one of the most common birth injuries that newborns can suffer. The bundle of nerves that runs from the spine through the neck and the arm is called the brachial plexus nerve bundle. It supplies nerve fibers to the arm, chest, shoulder, and hand and is responsible for the movement and sensory feeling of the arm, shoulder, and hand.

If this nerve bundle is injured, it can affect feeling in the arm, shoulder, and hand as well as movement. If this nerve bundle is injured at birth, as in a brachial plexus injury at birth, the baby can suffer the same symptoms including inability or lesser ability to move the shoulder or arm as well as loss of sensation in the limb as well.

Brachial plexus injury at birth can occur if a doctor or midwife believes that the baby is in danger and uses pressure in some way to extract the baby. If pressure is put on the brachial plexus nerve in the wrong way, the baby may suffer from brachial plexus injury at birth.

Brachial plexus injury at birth can present in four different ways:

• Neuropraxia
• Erb’s Palsy
• Klumpke’s Palsy
• Neuroma

Neuropraxia is the most common type of brachial plexus injury at birth, and it is also less severe than other types of brachial plexus injury at birth injuries. Small, minor tears occur in the brachial plexus nerve bundle and only the outer lining is affected. Symptoms of neuropraxia due to brachial plexus injury at birth go away after a few months.

Erb’s Palsy is more severe than neuropraxia. When the nerves of the upper arm are affected due to a brachial plexus injury at birth, Erb’s Palsy can result. Symptoms of Erb’s Palsy full paralysis of the arm, loss of motor function and loss of sensation in the arm. Additionally, the baby with Erb’s Palsy may be unable to make a fist or use the hand to grip.

Klumpke’s Palsy symptoms only show up in the lower part of the arm. This type of brachial plexus injury at birth may occur when the baby gets lodged in the pelvic region during the birthing process and there is excessive pulling or tugging to release the baby. The shoulder can be affected in such a case and result in a brachial plexus injury at birth.

Neuroma due to brachial plexus injury at birth is also possible. When the brachial plexus nerve bundle is injured, scar tissue can form. This scar tissue can exert pressure on the nerve and create disruptions in communication from the nerve to the arm itself.

If your child was injured due to a brachial plexus injury at birth, you may have a legal claim.