Ohio Birth Injury Attorney - Experienced with Newborn Nerve Damage
While many births occur without incident, some newborns come away with injuries. Birth injuries might be unavoidable, or they might be the result of medical negligence on the part of a labor and delivery doctor or nurse. One common type of birth injury is nerve damage caused to your newborn.
If your newborn suffered nerve injuries and you believe a medical professional might be at fault, you should speak with an experienced Ohio birth injury lawyer at The Eisen Law Firm. Contact us for a free case evaluation today.
Causes and Types of Nerve Trauma
The nerves communicate information from the brain and spinal cord to the other parts of the body. In traumatic or difficult births, these nerves can often get damaged. This damage can be due to the improper care of a medical professional.
Some nerve injuries are temporary, and the infant can make a full recovery. In other situations, a baby is not so fortunate and will live with lifelong impairments that are irreversible. The following are some types of nerve damage to newborns:
Peripheral nerve damage – This refers to issues with nerves in more distant parts of the body, such as the arms. Peripheral nerve damage can sometimes cause paralysis, and it might be sustained during birth.
Brachial plexus injury - This refers to nerve injuries in the shoulder that impact movement and sensation in the arms and hands. This is common when the baby’s head, neck, or shoulder are positioned improperly in the birth canal or if a baby is born in the breech position. This injury can affect the upper arm (brachial palsy), both the upper and lower arm (Erb’s palsy), or the hand (Klumpke paralysis).
Facial paralysis - When a newborn suffers excessive pressure on its face due to the use of forceps, it can damage nerves on the side of the face. This can cause asymmetry in the newborn’s appearance, which might need surgical intervention, if the nerve was completely severed.
Diaphragm paralysis - The thin muscle separating the abdomen from the chest organs can sustain nerve damage during birth. This can lead to respiratory issues and difficulty breathing for the newborn.
Nerve damage is commonly caused by external forces and pressure during delivery. Sometimes this happens naturally, though it might also be due to negligent actions or omissions on the part of a medical professional. Determining whether a nerve injury during birth was due to medical malpractice can be a complicated task, and you want the right Ohio birth injury lawyer on your side.
In addition, determining the damages your child deserves for a birth injury can be challenging. In some cases, only limited additional medical care is needed to address or correct a nerve injury. In other cases, significant resources are needed to treat an extensive nerve injury. In still other cases, the damage cannot be fixed, and a detailed analysis of the effect of the injury on the child’s future development, schooling, and income must be undertaken.