Birth injuries include any damage to your baby during pregnancy, labor or delivery. They can occur due to developmental abnormalities, trauma or duress during birth. But the big thing that you might not know is when your baby has an injury or if it is just a congenital problem.
Congenital problems are those passed on through genetics. Meanwhile, birth injuries occur due to an event in pregnancy or birth. For example, if your baby has a cleft palate, that is a congenital problem. Again, they are due to genetics. Meanwhile, Erb’s palsy provides a typical example of a birth injury. Trauma during birth causes this. Here is more on birth injuries to help you quickly identify the difference.
What birth injuries should you look for?
While you might be happy that your baby is alive and you have their birth certificate after a complicated delivery, you should look for the following issues:
- Orthopedic damage
- External damage
- Nerve damage
- Brain injuries
These are all types of birth injuries that medical malpractice can cause in your baby.
Is medical malpractice always the cause?
Birth injuries are not always due to medical malpractice. Many are due to developmental abnormalities or other issues the doctors cannot control. However, plenty of them occur due to negligence or medical errors. Some common examples of medical malpractice you can experience are negligently using forceps and vacuum extractors, delaying an emergency C-section and mistakes during prenatal care.
Use this information to consider your baby. If you believe medical malpractice is the cause of their birth injuries, you should take action to receive proper compensation.