Medical mistakes causing cerebral palsy can be devastating to the impacted family, as the affected infant may require years of ongoing treatment.

Some birth injuries are unavoidable, despite the best efforts of the medical staff involved. But when providers’ actions fall below the standard of care, medical mistakes causing cerebral palsy can lead to harm that could have been avoided.

Parents may have legal options if their infant’s birth injuries were caused by medical malpractice. Even though giving birth should be a happy occasion, birth injuries due to medical malpractice can turn a happy occasion into a nightmare.

Overview of Medical Mistakes causing Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is one of the most commonly reported birth injuries. It can happen if doctors or medical staff disregard warning signs from the mother and the fetus.

Cerebral palsy affects almost 500,000 infants each year, with the severity varying between patients. This birth injury is a movement disorder caused by disrupted nerve connections between the brain and neck, which can happen when the baby is pulled out of the birth canal too quickly or aggressively.

However there are a number of other medical mistakes causing cerebral palsy and other possible birth injuries, including:

• The doctors failing to recognize transfusion problems with the placenta or umbilical cord before the delivery
• Failing to recognize signs of distress from the infant during labor, often in the form of slow heart rate
• Failing to order a C-section when appropriate
• Failing to correctly identify the position of the infant inside the mother, which can sometimes lead to shoulder dislocations or head injuries due to unusual birth position
• Improperly using vacuum extraction or forceps during delivery
• Failing to properly assess the child for any birth injuries or health problems, like jaundice or meningitis

While not all cases of this birth injury are caused by medical malpractice, parents should be aware that medical mistakes causing cerebral palsy can be avoided.

In order to properly determine if the infant’s injuries were caused by medical malpractice, parents should take their children to specialists and work closely with their lawyer.

However, there are some possible indicators that the infant’s cerebral palsy was caused by medical malpractice. If cerebral palsy sets in despite emergency C-section or transfer to the Intensive Care Unit after delivery, or if the child experienced seizures or other symptoms of brain damage during the first week, it’s possible that negligence was a factor.

While the exact cause of this birth injury is undetermined, medical mistakes causing cerebral palsy have been documented in many cases. When infants are deprived of oxygen too long or are pulled out of the mother improperly, the chances of cerebral palsy and other birth injuries greatly increase.

The chances of cerebral palsy are also increased if the labor last over 18 hours, especially if there is more than one birth like births. Overall, medical malpractice allegations can occur if the present medical staff did not properly monitor the mother’s condition or notice any sign of fetal distress.

Parents who believe their infant’s birth injuries are caused by medical malpractice, may be able to file legal action against the hospital or medical staff present during the birth. Potential claimants should contact a lawyer to determine eligibility for a birth injury lawsuit.