Birth Injury Causes

What Causes Birth Injuries?

There are many different causes and types of birth injuries. Some birth injury causes are natural. The baby may have a large head, resulting in complications during delivery.

But often, birth injuries are caused by errors made by a doctor or other medical professional. Medical negligence or malpractice can occur at any time before or after delivery, leading to debilitating, lifelong health issues.

For instance, a baby’s shoulders could lodge in the birth canal during delivery, and the doctor may pull on the baby’s head, causing the nerves to tear and possibly resulting in a severe problem known as Erb’s palsy.

Sokolove Law has decades of experience representing families of children who have suffered a birth injury due to improper medical care.

If you have any reason to believe your child may have been injured due to an error made by a medical professional, get in touch with our birth injury law firm. We have a team of registered nurses on staff who can answer your questions.

Medical Negligence or Malpractice

In many instances, a birth injury occurs due to a medical mistake. Medical malpractice or negligence is when a doctor or other health care provider causes harm to a patient by not following accepted standards of care.

Here are a few examples of medical mistakes:

• The baby didn’t receive enough oxygen during labor and delivery, leading to brain damage.
• A medical professional incorrectly used an instrument, such as a vacuum or forceps. This can lead to several problems, including skull fracture, brain hemorrhage, or nerve damage.
• Doctors can make mistakes before a birth occurs, which can lead to major complications. They may not see signs of problems on a fetal heart monitor, or they may fail to interpret ultrasound results correctly.

Medical negligence may also be due to a physician’s improper management of a complicated pregnancy or delivery situation, such as:

• Abnormal maternal bleeding or fetal bleeding
• Compressed or prolapsed umbilical cord
• Prolonged labor
• Detached placenta (placental abruption)
• Inadequate pelvis size for vaginal delivery
• Maternal infections

“My baby had to stay in the NICU. Now, she is almost 3 and isn’t developing like other kids. Sokolove Law helped us fight for justice and get the money we needed to give our child special care and treatments. I can’t thank Sokolove Law enough."
– Mother in Massachusetts & Firm Client

Oxygen Deprivation

Whenever a fetus experiences a lack of oxygen, the consequences can be devastating. Unfortunately, this is one of the more common birth injury causes.

The two main forms of oxygen deprivation are:

• Anoxia – Also known as pediatric anoxic brain injury, anoxia can lead to the death of brain cells, which can impact mental, physical, and emotional functioning. Causes include low blood pressure in the mother, an abnormality of the uterus or placenta, and extreme blood loss after birth. Consequences include developmental delays, impulsive behavior, and difficulties using words in the correct way.
• Hypoxia – Hypoxia can happen when the fetus suffers oxygen deprivation due to a lack of blood flow to the brain. One reason this happens is because the fetus becomes entangled in the umbilical cord. It can also happen due to a problem known as umbilical cord prolapse, which is when the cord leaves the uterus, either before the fetus or at the same time as the fetus.

Birth Traumas

There are several different types of trauma that can result in a birth injury. These include skull fractures, fractures of the vertebrae, spinal cord injuries and several others. A birth trauma can be obvious, or it may be subtle, and not be apparent until after delivery has occurred.

Drug-Related Injuries

Medications can also be common causes of birth injuries. For example, many women are prescribed a drug known as Pitocin in order to induce labor. But this medication can result in stronger contractions that are hard for the mother to manage.

This, in turn, can put more stress on the muscles of the uterus, increasing the risk of a rupture that can harm both the mother and the baby. Severe complications, such as brain damage, seizures and even death, have occurred.

Doctors and medical professionals should be aware of medications the mother is taking to monitor any potential side effects. Lack of doing so may be considered medical negligence.

Types of Brain Damage at Birth and the Injuries They Cause

Birth injuries can have severe, long-lasting effects. There are four main types of brain damage caused by childbirth-related trauma. These are hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, periventricular leukomalacia, intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral dysgenesis.

Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)

HIE is a form of brain damage that occurs due to a lack of either oxygen or blood flow to the brain. The word “hypoxic” means a lack of oxygen, while “ischemic” means a lack of blood flow. “Encephalopathy” means a disorder of the brain.

HIE can happen during labor as well as delivery, oftentimes resulting in permanent disabilities, including:

• Developmental disabilities
• Cognitive problems
• Cerebral palsy

Also, any interruption to the brain’s supply of oxygen or blood can increase the risk of birth injury, potentially damaging the kidneys, liver, heart and other organs.

The amount of long-term damage will depend on how long the brain was lacking enough oxygen.

Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL)

This refers to a brain injury that primarily strikes premature babies. Small portions of brain tissue die, leading to the development of so-called “holes” in the brain.

One of the main causes of PVL is a change in the amount of blood flowing through ventricles, which are small areas in the brain filled with fluid.

PVL can lead to major nervous system problems, as well as developmental delays. Babies who experienced PVL may have difficulty crawling or moving their arms, and may also have learning issues.

Intracranial Hemorrhage

Also known as bleeding in the brain, an intracranial hemorrhage can occur due to a head injury, high blood pressure, or for one of several other reasons.

Any sort of bleeding can cause a great deal of tissue damage, leading to neurologic issues such as having trouble with speaking, learning, or even moving.

In some cases, an affected infant will eventually develop epilepsy or seizures.

Cerebral Dysgenesis

Cerebral dysgenesis is a type of malformation in the brain that leads to cerebral palsy. It develops while the baby is still in the womb — it typically doesn’t occur as the result of a birth injury.

Cerebral dysgenesis can take many different forms, in which the brain may:

• Not develop completely
• Develop but then not grow normally
• Develop and grow but not divide into two halves or “hemispheres” like a healthy brain

Medical Malpractice as a Cause of Birth Injury

Having a child should be a wonderful experience. That experience can quickly turn into a nightmare if medical malpractice occurs and a baby suffers a long-term disability — or worse — as a result.

Medical malpractice can cause birth injuries in many ways, particularly in relation to a medical professional:

• Failing to spot issues prior to delivery, such as a prolapsed or compressed umbilical cord
• Improperly using medical equipment during delivery, like the use of forceps or vacuum extractors
• Not performing a C-section (cesarean section) when the situation calls for such a procedure
• Not spotting the signs of any type of infection that could lead to complications

“Everything seemed fine during my pregnancy, but after hours of labor, my daughter arrived unresponsive, with severe bruising and swelling on the back of her head. Thankfully, Sokolove Law fought for justice and the best care for my child. The compensation they secured for my daughter has been life-changing.”
– New York City Mother & Firm Client

Sokolove Law: A National Birth Injury Law Firm

Sokolove Law has recovered more than $962 Million for families of children who have experienced birth injuries due to medical negligence or medical malpractice. Our birth injury law firm has a great deal of experience in handling these kinds of claims.

We are keenly aware of the suffering that this type of injury can cause, and we know how to hold accountable those responsible for that suffering.

It can be hard to get the answers you need without the help of a birth injury lawyer. Your legal team will thoroughly examine the actions taken by all medical personnel involved in the delivery of your child. A birth injury lawyer can then help determine the responsibility of anyone who may have made mistakes.

When you turn to us, we will do everything we possibly can to help you secure compensation for the suffering your family has been forced to endure. Fill out the contact form on this page for a free legal review of your case.