What Are Signs of a Birth Injury?

“Birth injury” is defined as damage or injury to the child before, during, or just after the birthing process. How do you know if your child suffered a birth injury? This article examines some of the signs and symptoms of a birth injury.   

Failure to Meet Milestones 

If your child is failing to meet milestones, they may have suffered a birth injury. For instance, milestones for a four-month-old baby include cooing, smiling, ability to follow objects with their eyes, and ability to hold their head up independently. By nine months, your baby should be able to sit upright without assistance and respond to sounds. By one year old, your baby should be crawling and by 18 months, they should be walking. By two years old, they should be able to run, kick balls, climb, as well as communicate by pointing and using short sentences. Four and five-year-olds should speak in complete sentences, understand basic grammar, tell stories, and use the bathroom independently. Signs of your child’s birth injury might not become apparent until the child reaches a bit older age. If your child suffered a birth injury and has not achieved certain milestones, reach out to a Philadelphia birth injury attorney as soon as you can.    

Brain Injury 

The brain is one of the most delicate organs during childbirth. It is also the most important organ in a person’s body because it controls the bodily functions as well as the cognitive

processing. Thus, birth injuries resulting in brain damage can be the most devastating of any birth injury. There are a variety of brain injuries including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE or, also, perinatal asphyxia), brain bleeds (hemorrhages or hematomas), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), kernicterus, cerebral palsy, caput succedaneum, and hydrocephalus. Many of these are caused by hypoxia or a lack of oxygen in the blood. 

Major signs of brain injury include physical symptoms such as headaches and seizures; sensory symptoms such as sensitivity to loud noise, bright lights, and vision problems; cognitive symptoms such as executive functioning deficits, memory problems, and inability to form age-appropriate thoughts and conclusions; speech symptoms such as difficulty communicating, enunciating, or speaking at all; and behavioral and emotional symptoms such as anxiety, disinhibition, poor regulation of impulses, and depression. 

“Baby Born Blue” 

Sometimes after birth, a baby will appear to be blue in color. This blue skin tone is due to a lack of sufficient oxygen to support healthy red blood cells. (Blood cells are only red when they have

enough oxygen.)  If the appearance of blue skin remains for several minutes after the birth, this could be indicative of a serious medical problem. 

A baby could be born blue because of issues during the labor and delivery that were not managed by their health care team.  

Major signs of a child who had insufficient oxygen in their blood include developmental delays, cognitive deficits, and serious and possibly life-threatening heart and lung problems. 

Long-Term Care for Children Who Suffered Birth Injuries 

Children who have suffered birth injuries might need lifelong care. Treatment may include various surgeries, physical therapy, psychological or psychiatric treatment, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medication, and adaptive equipment, such as wheelchairs, orthotics, and strollers. Your Philadelphia birth injury lawyer will connect you with the proper medical professionals so that your child can get the care they need to heal and thrive. 

Birth injuries can be tragic, but parents of children who suffered birth injuries are not without legal options. If you believe your child suffered a birth injury, contact the attorneys at VSCP Law.