Giving birth to a child is one of the most fascinating and unique experiences a woman could have. Nurturing a baby carefully for several months in the womb and then bringing it into the world can indeed feel life-changing.
During childbirth, minor injuries like bruises or small cuts are common and they heal relatively quickly. But according to the WHO, over one million babies die every year within 24 hours of being born. Losing your child due to birth injuries can be emotionally shattering. Families tend to be vulnerable during such an event, and they may not be able to comprehend what actions to take if a fatal mistake has happened due to negligence. If you find yourself in a situation like this and feel that it may have been caused because of improper medical care, then you must approach a lawyer for birth injury claim.
To have a better idea of what sort of complications can arise, let’s go through some serious birth injuries that can occur during delivery:
- Perinatal Asphyxia
Injuries to a baby during birth commonly happen because of perinatal asphyxia. Perinatal asphyxia is when the child doesn’t receive sufficient oxygen during delivery – this could either mean that the blood flow to the baby is reduced, or that the blood reaching the baby doesn’t have the right amount of oxygen in it. Multiple situations can cause perinatal asphyxia to occur – blood loss, infections, or pressure on the umbilical cord.
An injury like this causes cerebral palsy and affects an estimated 800,000 children around the world. In most situations, cerebral palsy can be eliminated if medical professionals take the right preventive measures. The following blunders can result in cerebral palsy not being identified and handled well:
- Not checking and treating infections in the mother.
- Failure to detect and manage a prolapsed umbilical cord.
- Improper usage of tools for birth-assistance.
- Not monitoring for fetal distress.
- Lack of planning when it comes to performing an emergency cesarean delivery.
Cerebral palsy impairs the child’s movement, motor skills, and even muscle tone. These can cause further complications like problems with vision, hearing and speech, lung diseases, cognitive issues, and learning disabilities.
Different types of cerebral palsy can affect babies, such as:
- Dyskinetic cerebral palsy is one of the most common types of cerebral palsy that causes awkward posture and irregular, repetitive movements.
- Spastic cerebral palsy is another common type of cerebral palsy that results in muscle spasms, abnormal movements, and difficulty in controlling one’s movements.
- Ataxic cerebral palsy causes the baby to have tremors and results in issues with body coordination and balance.
It’s not necessary for a child to only develop one type of cerebral palsy – they could have a condition that displays mixed characteristics from the above-mentioned examples. Although there are treatments available, there’s currently no cure for cerebral palsy. That’s why it’s of paramount importance that the medical professional in charge takes all the necessary measures to prevent this from happening.
- Shoulder Dystocia
Shoulder dystocia occurs when the baby’s head or shoulders get stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone during delivery. This is a rare complication and only happens in 1% of all pregnancies. However, it can cause lasting damage like fractures in the neck or shoulders, cerebral palsy, and damage to nerves in the neck. Nerve injuries because of shoulder dystocia can result in the baby losing control of their arm movement. If not managed appropriately, this can even result in a uterine rupture and hemorrhaging for the mother.
- Nerve Damage
The baby needs to be handled with the utmost care during childbirth to prevent nerve damage from occurring. Their nerves can be overstretched or torn if adequate care is not given during birth.
A facial nerve could be damaged if the doctor’s forceps compress the nerve. The symptoms of an injury like this are a lack of expression on the affected section of the face, or asymmetrical facial movements.
If the laryngeal nerve is injured, it can impair the baby’s ability to swallow and breathe. In extreme cases, it may even paralyze the baby’s vocal cords.
Overstretching of the spine may cause harm to the spinal nerves and this can result in a severe injury. Injuries of this nature are generally permanent and can leave the child with paralyzed body parts.
Final Thoughts
As beautiful as childbirth is, it needs to be conducted with extreme care and precision. Childbirth affects not only the mother and the child, but also their entire family. Not handling this right can cause immense physical and emotional pain to the people involved. The above information will help you be aware of what complications can arise and look for reliable medical professionals as needed. If you feel that there may have been negligence on the staff’s end, you must explore legal options in order to get justice.
