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Cerebral Palsy: Birth Injury or Natural Causes?
Cerebral Palsy can have several different causes, ranging from natural congenital defects to birth injury caused by a doctor’s negligence. If your child was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy after birth, determining the cause is important. Finding out whether your child deserves compensation right away can help you file a lawsuit on time or start making a plan for your child’s care. If your child’s condition was caused by a birth injury, there is a chance that a doctor should have been able to prevent it. Telling the difference between congenital and birth injury-induced Cerebral Palsy can be difficult. If you suspect that a doctor’s carelessness may have complicated your birth and potentially led to your child’s diagnosis, you should speak with a qualified Chicago, IL, birth injuries attorney as soon as possible. We may suggest visiting a specialist and filing a lawsuit depending on the results of your visit.
How to Make a Claim for Negligent Uterine Rupture
Suffering a uterine rupture during labor can be a traumatic, life-threatening event. While these emergencies do sometimes happen spontaneously, many are tragically avoidable with proper medical care. If your healthcare providers failed to meet the standard of care leading up to or during your delivery rupture, you may be able to take legal action with an Illinois birth injury lawyer.
Proving Negligence
To successfully make a claim for uterine rupture, your attorney will need to prove the elements of negligence. This requires showing that your healthcare provider owed you a duty of care that they subsequently breached in some way, directly causing your injuries.
Your medical team is expected to adhere to the appropriate standard of care for monitoring labor, detecting potential uterine rupture risk factors, and responding urgently when a rupture occurs. Failing to meet this professional standard of competence in any aspect of your care before, during, or after delivery could satisfy the breach of duty criteria. Records will be thoroughly reviewed to pinpoint exactly where the negligent action(s) occurred.
Potential Injuries From Labor Induction
Labor induction is a common procedure used to stimulate contractions and start the birthing process. While it can be an effective way to manage certain pregnancy complications, the unnatural stimulation of contractions also carries risks of injury to both mother and baby. If you or your baby got injured from a wrongful labor induction, an Illinois birth injury attorney may be able to help.
Infection From Fetal or Amniotic Fluid Monitoring
One of the key tools used to monitor labor progress and fetal heart rate is an internal sensor that gets inserted alongside the cervix. The sensor and its wiring provide a pathway for bacteria to travel into the uterus or amniotic sac, causing infections like chorioamnionitis or sepsis. Warning signs that an infection is brewing may be missed or disregarded by staff.
Excessive Contraction Stimulation
Medications like Pitocin are often used to cause stronger, more frequent uterine contractions to drive labor. However, inducing contractions too aggressively can overload the uterus, reducing blood flow to the fetus. Intense contractions may also cause the uterus to rupture along scar tissue from a previous C-section or other uterine surgery. This can lead to dangerous bleeding, hysterectomy, or death of the mother and baby.
Common Injuries From Pitocin Misuse
The synthetic hormone medication Pitocin is frequently used to enhance contractions to advance prolonged labor during childbirth. However, misusing this high-risk drug often causes harm to both mothers and newborns. Understanding some of the most common Pitocin-related delivery injuries provides insight into the impacts of medication negligence. If you identify with one or more of the common injuries, along with misuse of Pitocin, an Illinois birth injury lawyer can help determine if you have a potential case.
Maternal Infections and Bleeding
Administering Pitocin requires an IV line placed directly into a blood vessel which risks introducing bacteria leading to maternal infections. Additionally, stronger than normal contractions triggered by improper Pitocin dosing commonly cause damage to the birth canal and uterus resulting in internal tearing, hemorrhaging, and excessive postpartum bleeding needing transfusions or hysterectomies.
Your Baby's Shoulder Dystocia Birth Injury and Your Rights
Shoulder dystocia can be a scary and dangerous birthing complication. It happens when a baby’s shoulder gets trapped behind the mother’s pubic bone during childbirth. This can deprive the baby of oxygen and lead to permanent disability. If your baby has suffered a birth injury from shoulder dystocia, you may be wondering about your legal rights and options. An Illinois birth injury lawyer can help guide you on the proper steps you should take for this
What is Shoulder Dystocia?
Shoulder dystocia occurs when the baby’s head has already emerged from the birth canal, but one of the shoulders becomes stuck, preventing the rest of the baby’s body from passing through. This traps the baby inside the birth canal and puts extreme pressure on vital structures. Shoulder dystocia is an obstetric emergency.
Unfortunately, the urgency of shoulder dystocia situations means that permanent nerve damage or oxygen deprivation can occur while freeing the trapped shoulder. Common birth injuries include:
What to Do About Medication Errors During Giving Birth
Bringing a new life into the world should be a joyful experience. But unfortunately, medical mistakes like medication errors too often can make the birthing process traumatizing when something goes wrong. Learning how these errors happen and options for holding hospitals accountable provides critical knowledge for families. You should not have to remain in silence; you would be helping yourself and future moms. An Illinois birth injury lawyer can help determine if you have a potential case and how to begin the process.
How Medication Errors Cause Harm
Mix-ups surrounding labor-inducing drugs or incorrect administration of epidurals and anesthesia bring unnecessary risks. Resulting uncontrolled contractions could rupture the uterus or deprive babies of oxygen. Meanwhile, using contraindicated injections on mothers with underlying conditions may yield life-threatening reactions. Poor medication handling threatens both mom and baby.
The Role of Speech Therapy for Children With Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders affecting movement and coordination that arises in early childhood. Besides impacting mobility, CP can also affect a child’s ability to swallow, eat, and communicate. Speech therapy plays a vital role in managing these challenges. If you have not had legal help with your child developing CP, a Texas injury lawyer can help with the process.
Assessing Speech and Language Skills
A speech-language pathologist thoroughly evaluates children with CP to identify any speech, language, or swallowing difficulties. Common issues include dysarthria (muscle weakness inhibiting speech), apraxia (difficulty coordinating oral movements), and language delays. Testing helps determine strengths, weaknesses, and goals for therapy. Ongoing assessment tracks progress over time.
Improving Communication Abilities
Speech therapists use various techniques to improve communication skills in children with CP. Oral motor exercises help strengthen muscles involved in speaking, chewing, and swallowing. Children may practice coordinating lips, tongue, and jaw to produce sounds more clearly. Therapists also work on relaying messages using communication devices when speech itself is extremely difficult.
Types of Medical Errors That Can Cause Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders affecting movement and muscle tone caused by damage to the developing brain. Although there are some genetic and developmental causes of CP, a significant percentage of cases are due to preventable medical errors during labor and delivery. If you believe medical negligence led to your child developing cerebral palsy, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. You should be aware of some of the most common medical errors that can result in cerebral palsy. An Illinois lawyer can help you if your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Failure to Recognize or Respond to Fetal Distress
During labor, physicians monitor the fetus for signs of oxygen deprivation or distress through devices like continuous fetal heart rate monitoring. Doctors look for concerning patterns indicating cord compression or placental issues. Failure to recognize concerning changes in heart rate patterns or to perform interventions in a timely manner, like an emergency C-section, can lead to lack of oxygen, causing brain damage and CP.
What Can I Do If I Experience Maternal Birth Injuries?
Throughout pregnancy and childbirth, the focus is on the child's well-being and ensuring the mother is healthy and strong. During birth, however, the mother can suffer birth injuries. Amniotic fluid embolism, or AFE, is the leading cause of maternal death. If you suffered a maternal injury, you need a skilled Illinois injury attorney to evaluate your case and offer legal guidance.
What is Amniotic Fluid Embolism?
Certain birth injuries, such as AFE, can pose serious risks to maternal health. It occurs when the fluid surrounding the baby in the placenta winds up in the mother’s bloodstream. This condition is rare, but when it develops, it can lead to severe complications for the mother, making legal help essential in cases of medical negligence during childbirth.
Was Medical Negligence the Cause of My Child’s Birth Injuries?
In the United States, the prospect of welcoming a new life into the world is both exciting and nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, birth injuries such as cerebral palsy affect many newborns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that mistakes during childbirth contribute significantly to these changes. When faced with the uncertainty of your newborn's health, it is crucial to contact a birth injury attorney to help you understand if a birth injury was caused by medical negligence.
How Does Medical Negligence Lead to Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy, a condition affecting movement and muscle coordination, often finds its roots in medical mistakes. When healthcare professionals, such as doctors or nurses, neglect to monitor or respond appropriately during childbirth, they may be deemed negligent in fulfilling their duty to patients. These lapses in care can have serious consequences, leading to complications that contribute to the development of cerebral palsy in newborns.
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