Birth Injury Blog

Archive for July, 2009

By Ryan Holdings

Most parents or parents-to-be are so excited for the coming of a new member of their family. Even before the baby comes to the world, the parents see to it that everything is alright and that they have a welcome place to come home to. However, you also have to know what to do if your baby was injured during birth.

A baby always gives joy to a home and the baby’s parents want nothing but the best for their baby. But if this kind of accident happens, it is definitely not going to be a pleasant situation. You went all through the risky labor only to find out that your baby got injured after you gave birth. It is not a nice surprise for a mother. Read the rest of this entry »

By Joseph Devine

Erb’s Palsy is a type of paralysis occurring in the upper arm due to nerve damage. The damage done to these nerves almost always takes place during childbirth-typically, during births that are abnormal or notably difficult. Excessive strain on the neck and head of the baby, or pulling on the baby during childbirth is the most common causes of this paralysis. The extent of nerve damage can vary greatly from child to child, and so can the treatment options. In some cases, the damage is minimal enough that it can heal on its own, and in other cases, a child will require physical therapy or surgery. Read the rest of this entry »

By William Chang

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that usually affect the motor function of the person who has it. Cerebral palsy is not a progressive disease, meaning that the symptoms do not get either worse or better with time. Cerebral palsy usually affects either one or both of the arms and legs, though it seems to be a disorder related to brain injuries.

The exact cause of cerebral palsy is often difficult to pin down but has been directly linked to some injury to the brain or nerves before, during, or shortly after birth. Cerebral palsy can also occur from injuries or diseases sustained in early childhood, usually in the first two years of life.

Cerebral palsy can range in severity from just a slight arm or leg problem to very serious cerebral palsy, which can lead to complete immobility and a paralysis of several organs and limbs. Speech, eating, and learning impediments can also accompany cerebral palsy. The symptoms stay the same throughout the cerebral palsy sufferer’s life.

Cerebral palsy is a very common disorder that seems to be becoming more prevalent. Since cerebral palsy is often not diagnosed until a child is two years old, if the disorder is a mild case especially, then numbers are often not reported in a timely fashion. Over 500,000 people in the US have the disorder. Read the rest of this entry »

By Terry Cochran

For every 1,000 babies born every day at least 27 are victims of birth trauma. Birth injuries occur more often than most people believe and sometimes the injuries occur because of the negligence of doctors, nurses or the hospital.

Mothers have a deep respect for the doctor and nurses who helped bring their baby into the world. Because of this a very sad and tragic result is that often the mother blames herself for the birth injury. She just cannot perceive the doctor might be negligent.

Most doctors, nurses and hospitals are excellent but when malpractice is involved in a birth injury the baby and parents must be adequately compensated. And beyond compensation, it is important that responsibility be appropriately assigned so the mother does not suffer needless emotional stress.
Common birth injuries are cerebral palsy, temporary paralysis, brain damage, a fractured collar bone, seizure disorders, and specific disorders such as Erb’s Palsy, Klumpke’s Palsy, and Brachial Plexus Palsy. Read the rest of this entry »

Cerebral relates to brain and palsy is paralysis, giving Cerebral Palsy (CP) the meaning “Brain Paralysis”. Cerebral palsy refers to a group of conditions that affect movement, balance and posture. This condition usually is diagnosed by 3 years of age. About 2 to 3 children in 1,000 are affected. Affected children have abnormalities in one or more parts of the brain that affect the ability to control muscles. Symptoms range from mild to severe but do not get worse as the child gets older. With treatment, most children can significantly improve their abilities.

Is Cerebral palsy hereditary?
There is no concrete evidence to prove that the cerebral palsy is transmitted from mother to the offspring through gene, but there are few observations and study information collected reopens the topic of genetic influence in cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy incidence is more in mothers who are suffering from mental retardation and it was seen that cerebral palsy occurrence is more in mothers who used to have mild seizures.
Cerebral palsy usually is caused by factors that disrupt normal development of the brain before birth. In some cases, genetic defects may contribute to brain malformations and “miswiring” of nerve cell connections in the brain, resulting in cerebral palsy. It is seen that Cerebral palsy reoccurs in certain families. The percentage of occurrence is 10%. If the child born prior to this child is dead at birth, and then the chance of the child born getting cerebral palsy is more. The incidence of cerebral palsy is more to the younger brothers or sisters born to the child with motor deficit.
As of now, the possibility of hereditary transmission of cerebral palsy is not confirmed though there are suspicion that it might be hereditary.