Injuries to the tiniest of America’s citizens — newborn infants — is a topic that no one wants to think about. Obstetricians and other medical personnel involved in the birth of babies care about what they do and no doubt work hard to ensure a safe delivery. However, birth injuries do still occur and some of them are caused by error rather than unpreventable circumstances.
Many times, an infant injured during birth will get better with time, experiencing no long-term effects. At the same time, some of these injured infants will never get better and may suffer from developmental delays, permanent physical conditions or even death.
The most common types of birth injuries caused by malpractice include:
— Misdiagnosing certain conditions of the mother or the fetus — Improper use of medical tools used during delivery — Failure to order an emergency cesarean section — Physician leaving the delivery room to let a nurse deliver the infant — Medication errors — Insufficient monitoring of maternal or fetal distress during labor — Inadequate treatment of maternal infections — Tugging the infant too aggressively during delivery — Negligent prenatal care
Some medical conditions that may occur due to mistakes during birth include:
— Erb’s palsy or shoulder dystocia — Cerebral palsy — Bone breaks or fractures — Hemorrhaging between the periosteum and the skull — Suffocation
While it is important to stress that most infants emerge from the birthing experience in fine condition, it is just as important to know when a birth injury might have been prevented with proper medical care. Bergen County parents who fear their child may have been wrongfully injured during birth can find out more by seeking advice from a local attorney.
Source: Birth Injury Guide, “Information On Birth Injuries,” accessed July 08, 2015
