Developmental Delays Due To Birth Trauma
When birth trauma occurs, there is a chance that a baby will exhibit signs of various aspects of a condition called “cerebral dysfunction”, which means that the brain is not functioning as efficiently or effectively as it could in a normally developing baby. For babies that experience this, it can affect the child’s physiological development later on in life. Recent studies demonstrate that at least 80% of children who have developmental delays, such as autism-related disorders or ADD, went through a traumatic birth.
The following experiences may attribute to later developmental delays:
- False labor
- Premature rupture of membranes
- Induction or acceleration of labor by medication
- Very rapid/long labor
- Epidural anesthetic
- Umbilical cord wrapped around baby’s neck more than one time
- Slowing of the baby’s heart to dangerously low levels
- Slowed or stopped contractions
- C-section
- Vacuum Extraction
- Forceps Extraction
When these complications occur, it increases the risk that this will damage the child’s nervous system and therefore, his or her development as a newborn or young child.
The following signs may be signs of developmental difficulties:
- Delay in sucking of more than a couple of days.
- Vomiting after being fed
- Asymmetrical motion of arms or legs
- Continuous crying
- Inappropriate order of development changes, or missing development stages altogether
For parents with children who have these delays, the cost of care can be extremely expensive and can be time-consuming. It may cause one parent to have to leave his or her job to take of care of the child, or require the use of a live-in nurse. If your medical professional acted in a negligent manner in delivering your child and caused birth injuries, you may have the right to claim financial compensation to help care for your child.
Contact Us
If your child is exhibiting signs of developmental delays or has a serious medical condition due to a birth injury and you would like to seek legal representation regarding a medical malpractice lawsuit, contact the Philadelphia birth injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. today at 215-238-1130.