CLEVELAND BIRTH INJURY ATTORNEY

The absolute last piece of information a mother wants to hear after birthing her child is that there is an issue. Particularly a birthing injury. Newborns who are injured due to medical negligence of health care providers leave infants and their families to face the burden of high medical bills, as well as physical and emotional challenges. The newborn may require years of aftercare, therapy, and medical support that will surely take a toll on the family. Parents are forced to learn how to raise a child with special needs who would have been born completely healthy had these complications not occurred.

An alarming statistic mentions that birth injuries affect roughly 7 out of every 1,000 newborns in the US alone. The Cleveland birth injury attorneys of Paulozzi are dedicated to helping parents understand and guide them through their child’s condition. It is our duty to secure the care, support, and compensation every parent deserves. If you are experiencing the effects of medical negligence with your newborn, contact us by phone at 800-LAW-OHIO or by email at contactus@lawohio.com.

What Are Birth Injuries?

By definition, birth injuries are any traumas experienced by infants before, during, or shortly after childbirth. The level of severity can range from minor complications to severe, life-threatening conditions. For those fortunate enough, some birth injuries heal on their own and the infant will go on to have few problems. On the opposite end, though, there are those who are not as fortunate and will require extensive treatment with long-term complications.

What Are The Causes Of Birth Injuries?

Trained medical professionals across the board know to avoid certain actions, however, we are all human and no one is perfect. Mistakes happen on occasion. For example, some malpractice cases might involve the doctor leaving the nurse to deliver the baby alone. Another instance is when an individual exemplifies as a nurse and administers the wrong medication or the wrong dosage of the right medication.

There are even those cases where midwives who are not properly nor medically trained to handle emergency birthing situations are put in a position to do so. This is where birthing injuries occur as well. When it comes down to it, birthing injuries can happen for a number of reasons.

What Are The Most Common Types Of Birth Injuries?

Some of the most common types of birth injuries are listed below:

  • Forceps marks and bruising. Doctors who improperly use forceps during the delivery process can cause birth injuries, including marks and bruises.
  • Fractures. One of the most common birth injuries is a clavicle or collarbone fracture. Breech deliveries are notorious for this type of fractures.
  • Brachial palsy. Issues delivering the infant’s shoulders can lead to brachial palsy, which is an injury to the group of nerves responsible for communication between the hands and the arms. While shoulders becoming stuck during the delivery process is a common issue, proper handling of the situation is required to avoid injury. Doctors who do not handle the issue properly can cause brachial palsy, which comes with permanent and significant damage to the brachial plexus.
  • Facial paralysis. An infant’s facial nerves can become injured when too much pressure is placed on the infant’s face during birth. This can lead to facial paralysis. Sometimes, the facial nerves are severed or crushed, which can necessitate surgical intervention, or even lead to permanent paralysis of the face.
  • Cephalohematoma. Trauma during birth can lead to cephalohematoma, which happens when blood accumulates under the scalp due to the breakage of small blood vessels.
  • Caput succedaneum. Doctors who improperly employ vacuum extraction during birth may cause caput succedaneum. This condition is characterized by swelling of the baby’s soft tissues on the scalp, and it is often seen during long labor or with instrument-assisted delivery.
  • Neonatal falls. Any fall is serious for the neonate, but they happen all too often. Delivering obstetricians, nurses, and other medical staff may drop a baby during the baby’s stay in the hospital, leading to a range of injuries—some that heal and others that leave permanent damage behind.

The list is not exclusive to the examples above. In fact, there are many different birthing injuries that can result from medical negligence and malpractice.

Difficulty Proving Birth Injury

Birth injuries are notoriously difficult to prove, largely because the connection between the baby’s injury and the negligence of the medical professional is not always obvious. However, parents should never just assume that birth injuries are merely unavoidable. A seasoned birth injury attorney can inspect the medical records regarding the birth and consult with specialists and experts to help determine if the injury was preventable.

In order for a claim to be compensable, the plaintiff in a birth injury case must show that the medical practitioner acted negligently and in breach of their duty to the patient. It must also be shown that the negligence harmed the baby and that damages occurred because of the resulting harm. Damages in a birth injury case may be made up of a mix of compensation, but usually includes medical costs and pain and suffering. Payment for future medical care is generally also included.

Contact A Cleveland Birth Injury Attorney Today

We encourage you to reach out to us at Paulozzi for our finest Cleveland birth injury attorneys. We do not want you to wait if you feel as if you and your baby are falling victim to malpractice. Our mission is to seek justice and compensation for the wrongdoings of health care providers that leave you in a tough situation, financially, physically, and emotionally. Our number again is, 800-LAW-OHIO.

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