Two Most Common Cases Handled By Birth Injury Law Firms

By Author: Frank Martyn
Total Articles: 15
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If your child has sustained injuries during birth and you suspect that the doctor is in charge of labor, you should contact birth injury lawyers who handle medical malpractice cases involving children. Birth injury law firms handle a wide variety of cases where children and their parents are plaintiffs, but here are two of the most routine ones they litigate:

a. Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury that often results due to physician’s negligence during labor and delivery. At that juncture the obstetrician in charge of delivery is required to carefully follow the progress and status of the fetus to ensure that there are no signs of distress.

For example, if a doctor notices an abnormal heart rate, certain preventative steps should be taken to ensure that the baby continues to receive a proper supply of oxygen. Furthermore, the doctor needs to monitor the baby’s position and take quick action, like emergency c-section, if there is a problem with baby’s alignment and he may not be delivered easily. Birth injury lawsuit ...
... can brought if the doctor’s delay in action leads to complications such as Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy can also be caused by misadministration or overdose of medication used to speed up the birthing processes, like Pitocin. Overdose can affect the mother’s respiratory function which in turn will influence baby’s oxygen supply. Birth injury law firms are experienced in proving that the physician committed malpractice during labor and delivery by showing that the fetus did not receive enough oxygen and his proper pH levels were not maintained during the birthing process.

b. Erb’s Palsy

Erb’s Palsy is a preventable condition that normally does not happen, if not for the negligent acts of the hospital staff during labor and delivery. One of the primary concerns in any birth is the large size of the baby, since there is a higher chance of him getting stuck in the birth canal. Obstetricians are supposed to watch out for warning signs prior to labor and delivery such as the following:

a. Mother’s history of giving birth to large babies
b. Mother’s diabetes
c. Gestation period longer than 40 weeks
d. Excessive weight gain of the mother during gestation

Unfortunately, if a physician chooses to proceed with a vaginal birth and the infant’s shoulders get stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone, it may be too late to do a c-section, at which time the doctor may proceed to exert traction on the baby’s head in his attempt to get the rest of the baby out, thereby stretching the brachial plexus, causing bruising and tear and leading to Erb’s Palsy. Birth injury lawyers representing victims and their families realize the extensive therapy that a child with a damaged shoulder may require throughout his life. A lawsuit won’t change the fact that a serious injury took place, but the birth injury law firms can help assure that the family receives monetary damages through settlement or trial to help pay for the baby’s future medical and hospital needs.

If you suspect that your child has birth injury due to physician’s negligence, you need to contact Duffy & Duffy concerning instituting a birth injury lawsuit on behalf of your child. As a specialized birth injury law firm law, we handle erb’s palsy, cerebral palsy and other types of birth injuries.