• 28
  • January
    2012

Parents in Chicago may find it alarming that six out of every 1,000 children born in the country will have some form of birth injury, but there are options for parents who believe their doctor contributed to or caused their infant's birth injury. Delivery room errors can lead to serious problems and a lifetime of medical care and expenses for some children, but an experienced medical malpractice attorney could help Illinois parents get compensation from their doctor, in order to cover the extra costs of dealing with a birth injury.

According to some people in the birth injury field, delivery room negligence is a very common occurrence. Sometimes a nurse will fail to monitor a woman's labor, sometimes a doctor will use his or her forceps incorrectly, and sometimes a health professional will administer the incorrect drugs during labor, all of which can cause significant damage to an otherwise healthy infant.

While we may think that birth must be a gentle process because of how delicate infants are, some children are born with broken bones, some of which are caused by medical malpractice. Luckily, the most common bone to break -- the collar bone -- will heal if the child is immobilized. In more serious situations, the doctor's improper use of forceps could apply pressure to the baby's face, causing facial paralysis. In some situations of facial paralysis, the child will have to undergo surgery to fix the damaged nerves.

Sadly, many children are also born with cerebral palsy because their oxygen supply was cut off during birth. The resulting brain and nerve damage will affect a child for life. Much of the damage will target the nerves that control the child's muscles, making it difficult for him or her to perform many daily functions.

Not all birth injuries are the result of medical malpractice, but it is important to speak with an attorney once you suspect your child's birth injury is a result of doctor or nurse error.

Source: News 4 Jax, "How medical malpractice leads to birth injuries," Ed Greenberger, Jan. 11, 2012