Birth Injury in College Station
Birth injury happens when the fetus is damaged in some form during the birth process. These injuries often occur during transit through the birth canal. Many newborns sustain minor injuries during birth, most of which heal without treatment. Sometimes though, bones are broken and nerves are damaged.
Injury can occur when the birth canal is too small for the fetus, or when the fetus is lying in an abnormal position as in a breach birth. While the report of injuries to infants during birth has gone down over the last few decades, there are still many occurrences of birth injury. Some of the more common birth injuries include:
- Head and brain injury: The head is the first part of the fetus’s body to enter the birth canal and this can often result in bruising and swelling. These injuries tend to resolve within a few days.
- Soft tissue injuries: Can result during contractions or from use of forceps during delivery. Swelling and bruising can occur around the eyes and face with face-first deliveries or on the scrotum or labia during breech deliveries. Usually, soft tissue injuries will resolve organically.
- Fracture: A fracture of the skull can occur during birthing. While skull fractures are rare, they often heal quickly unless the fracture forms an indentation called a depressed fracture.
- Bleeding in the brain: Also known as intracranial hemorrhage, this is caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the skull that can result in deformity of the skull bones.
- Nerve injury: Pressure from the forceps on facial nerves can result in weakness of the muscles on one side of the face. This injury may resolve within a few months but needs to be watched closely.
- Blood problems: Blood can accumulate below the thick fibrous covering of the skull bones called the periosteum causing the head to feel soft and increase in size after birth. This condition is called cephalohematoma can often resolve without treatment within a matter of weeks or months.
- Perinatal asphyxia: Results from too little blood flow to the fetus tissues or not enough oxygen in the blood. There are a number of causes including genetic abnormality, infection, pressure on the umbilical cord, blood clot, exposure to drugs in the womb, or a sudden loss of blood. Newborns with asphyxia will often have organ or brain damage, or problems with the lungs and breathing, and permanent damage may result including neurological damage, cerebral palsy, and learning disorders.
Was Your Baby Injured?
If your infant was injured during the birthing process, it is hard for a layman to know if something was done improperly. That is where an experienced attorney can help. The caring attorneys at Zinda Law Group have experience in birthing injuries and we have medical experts to look at the medical documentation to determine if your infant was injured as a result of medical negligence. Call us today for a free, no fee consultation at (800) 863-5312.
John (Jack) Zinda
Founder / CEO
Over 100 years of combined experience representing injured victims across the country.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation
Neil Solomon
Partner
Real results matter. We do not get paid unless we win your case.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation
