Delayed C-Sections Can Lead to Birth Injuries
Cesarean deliveries (C-sections) are a common procedure for women in labor. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 33% of all deliveries in the United States are performed via C-section. There are many good reasons why a doctor might feel a C-section is the best method for delivery. Generally speaking, the...
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Assistive Technology Improves Quality of Life for Children with CP
The team at The Yost Legal Group has created an infographic to demonstrate how assistive technology can help in the development – specifically the communication abilities – of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP), and how this technology can set them up for the utmost success. Cerebral Palsy is a birth defect that occurs when the...
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Seizures in Newborns
What Is the Most Common Cause of Neonatal Seizures? Did Malpractice Lead to Your Newborn’s Seizures? Last week, I was researching birth injuries and came across a fascinating paper from the American Academy of Neurology about the causes of seizures in newborns. In studying neonatal seizures, a multicenter cohort of researchers found that 58% of...
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Shoulder Dystocia and Lack of Oxygen to the Brain
Shoulder dystocia occurs when the baby’s head emerges during delivery, but one or both shoulders remains trapped behind the mother’s pubic bone, preventing completion of delivery of the baby. This may cause the baby to suffer from oxygen deprivation if the umbilical cord is compressed between the baby’s body and the mother’s pelvis, or if...
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Preeclampsia, Placental Abruption and Birth Injuries
It is estimated that every 1 in 100 births is affected by preeclampsia and placental abruption. These conditions can not only cause harm to the baby, but to the mother as well. Often times these birth injuries can have an impact on the child for the rest of their life. Preeclampsia occurs when an expectant...
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Complications from Fetal Macrosomia
A baby born weighing more than 8 pounds 13 ounces (or 4,000 grams) weighs significantly more than the average baby, and so meets the definition for macrosomia, or “big baby syndrome”, which carries with it the risk of injury during delivery. If the baby’s birthweight is even greater – 9 pounds 15 ounces (or 4,500...
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Seizure Activity in Newborns – Hypoxia
According to the Florida Neonatal Neurological Network about 20 out of every 1,000 full term births will be affected by a lack of oxygen to the brain (hypoxia) during labor and delivery. Babies who are born prematurely are at even greater risk, because their lungs are not fully developed and they are unable to fully...
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Periventricular Leukomalacia in Newborns
Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is an injury to the brain which occurs when tissue deep in the baby’s brain, called the white matter, dies away or is damaged. If a baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen during labor and delivery, the brain cells in the baby’s white matter can die or be damaged. The patches...
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Birth Injury Due To Placental Abruption
The placenta is an organ that develops inside a woman’s uterus during pregnancy. Once a baby is conceived, the placenta forms to supply oxygen and nutrients to the baby, as well as remove waste products from the baby’s blood. The placenta attaches to the uterine wall, and the baby’s umbilical cord arises from it. In...
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Microcephaly Following Hypoxic Brain Injury at Birth
Microcephaly is a medical condition defined by a small head circumference. It is noticeable as a disproportionately small head for the size of the growing child. There are many different ways this condition can develop, including preventable brain injury at birth, which stunts the growth of the baby’s brain and skull. Acquired microcephaly in very...
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