Birth injuries occur in approximately one to three percent of births in the United States, depending on what is characterized as a birth injury. Many of these injuries go unreported, largely due to a lack of awareness of the causes and symptoms of birth injuries. They may occur during the mother’s pregnancy, at the time of delivery, or in the course of newborn care.
Common causes of birth injuries include improper pre-natal care, failure to diagnose a disease or misdiagnosis of it, improper delay in inducing labor, failure to perform a c-section when required, improper handling of the baby after birth, failure to respond to apparent fetal distress, and improper monitoring and care of the baby following a delivery.
Thankfully, many birth injuries are temporary in nature, with no long-term side effects. Others, however, can be devastating to the baby, his or her parents, and all other family members. Cerebral Palsy is among the most devastating of birth injuries, although its cause often is not the result of birth injury negligence. This condition represents a group of disorders involving movement, learning, hearing, seeing and thinking that result from problems with brain development of a fetus or infant. |
