The American Academy of Neuroscience and the American Epilepsy Society have released new guidelines for pregnant women with epilepsy. The guidelines state that pregnancy is generally safe, but certain antiepileptic drugs should be avoided.

According to the guidelines, women with epilepsy are not more prone to birth complications than other women. However, antiepileptics like valproate do increase the risk of birth defects and could impair cognitive developement. Because of this, these drugs should be avoided if possible.

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injuries, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-7733.

Mulitple births can be very dangerous as they can encounter all the possible complications as a single birth, but have unique issues as well. Most multiple births are preterm, often leading to necessary medical treatment early on.

A report from the CDC has the chances of multiple birth increase with age. In 2005, 1 in 33 births to women under 35 was a multiple birth. This compare to 1 in 18 for women 35 and older, 1 in 5 for ages 45 to 49 and 1 in 2 for women aged 50 to 54.

Without proper medical care, multiple births can create terrible birth complications. If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injury, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

Vaginal Births After Cesarean, or VBACs, are generally recommended by the medical community. They are safer and healthier for both mother and child than having another C-section.

Approximately 90% of births after C-section are repeat C-sections even though VBACs are encouraged. These repeat C-sections are generally more familiar, but include dangers that are not associated with vaginal birth.

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injuries because of a C-section, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

A recent study has shown that babies who need to be resuscitated at birth and become healthy afterward may still be at risk for a lowered IQ later in life. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Bristol. It included 6000 births from 1991 to 1992.

Of those 6000 infants, 400 had to be resuscitated at birth with no evidence of injury after. 26 were resuscitated at birth and showed immediate signs of brain damage. In IQ studies of the children at 8 years old, 10% of the 400 who were resuscitated without injury had low IQs compared to 7% of those who did not require resuscitation.

Birth injury may not always be evident immediately. If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injury, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

Shoulder dystocia is a terrible form of birth complication that occurs when the baby's shoulders become stuck behind the mother's pelvic bone in delivery. This has in the past occurred without warning, making it very dangerous as 20% of cases end with injury.

Common injuries resulting from shoulder dystocia include fractures, contusions, asphyxia and damage to brachial plexus nerves. However, a new algorithm has been developed to calculate the probability of dystocia. That algorithm has since been applied to a software system called CALM Shoulder Screen which allows obstetricians to predict the risk of shoulder dystocia from 37 weeks onward.

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injury, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

Depression has been linked to premature birth, but so has antidepression medication. A recent study found that women on antidepression medications for the entire term of pregnancy had a 20% chance of premature birth. However, women who took no medication had the same chances.

This was compared to a 4% to 9% chance of premature birth in women who were depressed for only part of the pregnancy or only took antidepressants for part of that time. Premature birth increases the chance of birth injury and complication.

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injuries, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

A study conducted in the Netherlands among 530,000 low risk births showed that home birth with a midwife is just as safe as hospital birth with a midwife. This study was conducted with women who were at low risk of birth complications.

In these circumstances, home birth should be just as safe as hospital birth. Problems begin to arise, however, when either the mother or fetus is at risk for injury or the midwife does not adequately perform the delivery.

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injuries, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

Giving birth later in life causes a heightened risk of birth injury and complication. In spite of this, however, the average age of women giving birth is on the rise.

Women in the 35 to 39 age group are giving birth more and more. Because of this, medical professionals need to pay closer attention to the needs of the developing fetus. In addition to and because of the rising age of women giving birth, the number of births by C-section is on the rise. This only adds to the potential for birth injury.

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injury, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

Studies both recent and past have shown that boys are slightly more likely to incur birth complications than girls. Several studies have shown that male births were about 1.5 times as likely to result in arrest of descent than female births.

Additionally, male births are slightly more likely to result in premature birth and to necessitate a Caesarian section delivery. However, a slightly higher risk is not necessarily "high risk". 

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injuries, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.

A trial regarding the death of a Wisconsin baby has been going on for a while now. In new testimony, however, a doctor said that the cause of the baby's death was probably birth injury rather than abuse.

The 4 month old died in 2007 while in the care of his day care provider. The doctor in the case said that the type of injury sustained was most likely preexisting subdural hematomas from a cesarean section. This would put the delivering doctors at fault rather than the health care provider.

If you or someone you know has had to deal with birth injury, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.