Pregnancy and birth have both gotten significantly safer in recent decades for the mother and child but there are still some serious risks.

One of these risks is the possibility of birth trauma for the infant, such as nerve damage or other injuries. Birth trauma can lead to long-lasting complications for a child. While sometimes birth trauma is unavoidable, as in the case of a particularly difficult birth, it can also sometimes be caused by or worsened through medical malpractice.

Hundreds of families file lawsuits each year after they realize their child suffered a birth trauma, which may have been caused by negligence or even medical malpractice. Families hope that compensation from a birth injury lawsuit will help them with medical expenses going forward.

The most common birth trauma injuries include:

• Cerebral palsy
• Oxygen deprivation
• Mental retardation
• Erb’s palsy
• Klumpke’s palsy
• Brachial plexus
• Retinopathy of prematurity

Some of these birth trauma injuries can resolve on their own. But for many children, these conditions cause permanent health problems. Not only can this impair a person’s ability to live their life, it can also cause major financial problems for the family.

Certain birth trauma injuries, such as cerebral palsy, are not immediately evident, and may even take years for symptoms to reveal themselves.

If you are the parent of a child who has suffered birth trauma or injury, this may have been caused by negligence or medical malpractice. You have the right to know how this happened to your child.

Of course, not all birth trauma is the direct result of medical malpractice. For many children, these things just happen, especially after particularly difficult births. Babies delivered using obstetrical forceps, vacuum extraction, or cesarean section may face a much higher risk of birth trauma.

For others, however, injuries like substantial nerve damage during birth may have been avoided with the proper care, even with the use of one of these birth methods. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you find answers and even receive compensation for medical expenses, cost of care, and litigation payments.

Filing a Birth Trauma Lawsuit

If your child has suffered from a birth injury caused by lack of neonatal cooling therapy or other problem, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of these conditions, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses. Compensation may be able to provide support for prolonged or life-long costs associated with raising a child with special needs caused by birth trauma.

Seeking a medical malpractice lawyer with experience in this particular area can help you determine whether or not your child’s birth trauma was caused by medical malpractice or something less nefarious. A medical malpractice lawyer can also help your case significantly and help you reach a settlement that can help with medical expenses, lost earning capacity, and other costs.