- December 5, 2018
- Birth Injuries
- Personal Injury
How to Spot the Signs of a Birth Injury
From lifetime medical treatments to ongoing physical therapy, you will likely need significant resources to care for your child in the wake of a birth injury. But when doctors are negligent, it isn’t always readily apparent. With birth injury, it can take several days or even weeks for symptoms to manifest, depending on its scope.
In most cases, you may only start to suspect that there is something wrong with your child. The doctor may recommend that your infant is taken to a neo-natal intensive care unit, or NICU, for overnight observation. You may be told that your infant needed emergency techniques like “brain cooling,” but never given a reason for the treatment. Or, you may notice odd spots or inexplicable bruises on your infant’s head days after taking them home from the hospital.
- Erb’s Palsy
- Shoulder dystocia
- Birth asphyxia
- Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
- Brain bleeding or intracranial hemorrhage
- Cerebral Palsy
- Skull fractures
- Paralyzed arms
In some cases, the doctor or nurse may freely own up to any mistakes, and inform you of the child’s condition. Although healthcare professionals rarely admit to committing medical malpractice, some are honestly striving to provide you with the best care, and may feel incredible guilt about their error. In other cases, you may never hear about a serious injury or disability from the doctor directly, as they attempt to cover up their carelessness and negligence.
One of the best ways to identify a birth injury is to get a second opinion on your baby’s condition shortly after you come home. Talking to a trusted neutral party about your concerns, and examining your baby further, can help you determine if they were injured without your knowledge. A medical malpractice attorney with experience in this realm can also help you review the medical records, and determine if you have grounds for compensation.
Do you suspect that your baby may have endured a serious birth injury? Contact Goodman Acker P.C. at (248) 286-8100 today for a consultation on your case.