Could A Birth Injury Cause Developmental Delays In My Child?

What Is A Birth Injury?

Birth injury is one of the most common types of devastating and permanent injuries. Almost one in every 9,000 people born worldwide will suffer a birth injury.  Many people born with a birth injury experience lifelong consequences due to their injuries.

A birth injury is any injury caused during birth and/or during the labor process.  In many instances, medical providers who have taken a sworn oath to provide the best medical care possible to mothers and their children are unfortunately at fault and cause birth injuries.  Understanding birth injuries and their medical consequences help parents get early treatment for their children and seek necessary compensation in the event of medical malpractice.

Types Of Birth Injury

As well as being a very prevalent injury worldwide, a birth injury is also nuanced and complex and can often be due to medical malpractice.

Birth injuries are sometimes preceded by long labor times with signs of the baby in distress, issues with the umbilical cord, or abnormal positioning of the baby after the start of labor. 

The failure of doctors and/or nursing staff to notice these or other issues during labor (or their willingness to ignore these issues) may constitute malpractice, and they often lead to long-term health issues for the baby.

Birth injuries can cause:

• Cerebral palsy;
• Hypoxic brain injury;
• Developmental delays;
• Severe prematurity;
• Shoulder dystocia/Brachial Plexus Palsy; and
• Newborn death.

Additionally, children suffering from birth injuries also experience serious developmental delays. A developmental delay is classified as any delay of typical developmental milestones, such as speech, language, muscle development, movement or cognitive issues. Birth injuries are often a contributing factor to developmental delays.

What Should I Do If My Child Experiences Developmental Delays Or My Child Is Not Meeting Development Milestones?

The most important thing to do if your child has developmental delays due to a birth injury is to seek an early diagnosis and obtain early intervention as soon as possible. Talk to a specialist (such as a pediatric neurologist and/or counselors at an early childhood center with specialists in intellectual and developmental delays) who can look further into the reasons why your child may be experiencing milestone delays. 

If you suspect that your child’s developmental delay is due to a birth injury-related cause, also seek help from an experienced legal team like the partners at VSCP LAW who will work with their team of medical experts to investigate the true cause of your child’s condition. They will be able to determine whether or not your child’s birth injury is prosecutable. If your legal team finds you have a case, they will walk you through the process of filing a lawsuit. 

Why Should I File A Birth Injury Claim?

Birth injuries and the conditions they cause can be very financially, physically and emotionally draining on both children and their families. Winning a birth injury lawsuit can make a substantial financial difference to families impacted by birth injuries, including the quality of treatment your child gets and his/her quality of life.

Most importantly, birth injury claims help hold medical professionals accountable for their actions and inactions. Filing a claim could make a difference in the lives of other children in the future.

To learn more about filing a birth injury claim with VSCP LAW, contact the lawyers at VSCP LAW 24/7 via text, email or phone.  The lawyers at VSCP LAW have partnered with a winning team of medical experts to investigate birth injury claims immediately and determine whether you have an actionable case.