Brain damage in babies is a serious concern for expecting parents, with numerous birth defects to be wary of along with potential complications during labor.

While some of these complications can be avoidable, some doctors and other healthcare professionals may not take the necessary precautions necessary that lower the chances of birth injuries.

A class action investigation has been launched against doctors, other medical professionals, and healthcare facilities that may have committed medical malpractice during a patient’s labor, which may have caused brain damage in babies or other birth injuries.

Two common birth injuries are cerebral palsy and traumatic brain damage, which can increase in likelihood if medical malpractice is involved. Signs of these conditions are not always obvious shortly after birth; some effects don’t appear until years later.

Some of the most frequent causes of brain damage in babies include oxygen deprivation, physical trauma, and long labor period, each of which may be caused by doctors or other medical professionals not using proper medical care or procedure during labor. Complications often associated with brain damage in babies include, but not limited to:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Oxygen Deprivation
• Mental Retardation
• Erb’s Palsy
• Klumpke’s Palsy
• Brachial Plexus
• Retinopathy of Prematurity

Overview of Brain Damage in Babies

Most of these medical conditions involve life long complications, so it is important for parents to recognize any signs or symptoms to minimize the damage and maximize the infant’s quality of life.

Essentially, recognizing these signs will help parents provide the care and therapy their infants will need for their development. Some common symptoms or signs of brain damage in babies include, but are not limited to:

• Abnormally Large Forehead
• Abnormally Small Head
• Abnormal Spine Shape
• Neck Stiffness
• Seizures
• Feeding Difficulties
• Constant Crying
• Sleeping Difficulty while Lying Flat
• Extreme Fussiness

The symptoms included above are signs that appear immediately or soon after birth, while other cases may start showing as the infant starts developing in age.

It is important to note that symptoms of brain damage may be more cognitive. Serious physical symptoms may include severe sleeping problems, excessive lethargy, light sensitivity, paralysis, and tremors.

Parents will most likely notice signs associated with late development or delayed milestones such as when the child begins to crawl, sit up, or move around in general. Children with brain damage may also have trouble navigating up or down stairs, be unable to dress themselves, and be unable to feed themselves.

Brain damage in babies is often evaluated through the Glasgow Coma Scale, which is a neurological scale used to determine the child’s state of mind. This is scale is used for infants and toddlers under the age of two, with doctors testing stimuli by noting various responses like opening and closing of the eyes.

Once diagnosed, parents can start implemented proper care plans that will help in the infant’s development. Many cases of brain damage in babies are caused by the misuse of forceps or vacuum suction, or by an improperly performed C-section.

While not all cases of brain damage in infants are caused by medical malpractice, it is important for parents to understand the full scope of the circumstances surrounding the birth of their child that could have contributed to their condition.