Birth Injury

Injuries that occur at and around the time of birth are devastating to both child and family.

The term birth injury refers to an injury that occurs during the labor and delivery process. Serious and often fatal injuries can occur which have devastating effects on the child and his or her family for the rest of their lives.

Advancements in medical science like fetal monitoring have contributed significantly to a decrease in infant morbidity and mortality. Since fetal monitoring has become de rigueur in Chicago and Illinois hospitals the incidence of birth injuries has decreased significantly. .

Nevertheless, a shocking number of children are injured each year during labor & delivery. Often times these injuries are completely avoidable and preventable. Doctors and Hospitals may fail to appropriately monitor the progress of labor and fail to perform a caesarian section in a timely manner when faced with fetal distress. If you suspect that your child was injured due to negligence, contact a birth injury lawyer.

Certain factors raise the statistical likelihood of a birth injury, and may include:

• A large sized fetus ( this often occurs in cases where the mother has diabetes)
• The position of the fetus in utero
• Prematurity
• Abnormal pelvic architecture
• Stormy labor and delivery
• Deliveries that involve mechanical assistance like forceps
• Excessive force in delivering the fetus
• Additional factors like low Apgar scores, low cord blood pH levels and seizures immediately following delivery might also be an indication of a birth injury caused by medical negligence.

Children who have sustained birth injuries are often born later diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a disorder that appears after birth and can affect all manner of neurologic function from gross and fine motor skills to cognitive dysfunction. One of the main causes of Cerebral palsy is a hypoxic injury (lack of oxygen) to the brain during the labor and delivery process.

For over 40 years Goldberg & Goldberg has been working hard to protect the rights of the victims of medical malpractice and other negligence in Chicago, throughout Illinois and nationwide. If you wish to discuss a medical malpractice or other matter with one of our lawyers, please contact us at 877-368-0233. You initial consultation is absolutely free.