Birth injuries are terrible ordeals for newborn children, mothers, and entire families. Unfortunately, they are also all too common. Whether because of a medical mistake during the pregnancy or during the delivery itself, injuries sustained by a newborn can be life-altering and prevent the child from living a full life.
Contacting a DuPage County birth injury lawyer could be an important first step after your child suffers a birth injury that was not your fault. Understanding your rights and the legal process with a qualified medical malpractice attorney’s guidance could help you determine how best to pursue the compensation that you may deserve.
Types of Birth Injuries
Unfortunately, there are lots of ways that a newborn baby can get hurt during a delivery, or even while they are in utero. Some of these injuries can result in long-term medical conditions that the child will have to live with for the rest of their lives. Others are severe enough that they are life-threatening to newborns.
Complications from Lack of Oxygen
Many birth injuries that babies suffer stem from a lack of oxygen, often from the umbilical cord wrapping around their neck. This lack of oxygen takes a dramatic toll on the rest of a newborn’s body and result in conditions such as:
- Cerebral palsy
- Epilepsy
- Anoxia
- Hypoxia
In the most severe cases, a lack of oxygen during birth can lead to perinatal asphyxia, which is the deterioration of a muscle or tissue in a newborn due to oxygen loss. Typically, the organ that is affected the most by perinatal asphyxia is the baby’s brain, which can take on permanent damage. However, in other cases, the oxygen deprivation impacts other muscles and organs as well.
Subconjunctival Hemorrhages
A subconjunctival hemorrhage is when the blood vessels in a newborn’s eyes burst, causing blood to escape into the eye. They are especially common after traumatic births. While not all subconjunctival hemorrhages are life-altering, some can cause enough blood to leak into the baby’s eyes to create lasting damage to a newborn’s vision.
Intracranial Hemorrhages
An intracranial hemorrhage is a burst blood vessel inside a newborn’s skull. These types of hemorrhage are especially common during or after traumatic and difficult deliveries, or when the baby or mother has high blood pressure.
Legal Damages from Birth Injuries
Experienced attorneys in DuPage County recognize that birth injuries are especially terrible results of malpractice, as they saddle innocent children with potentially life-long injuries and difficulties that they did not deserve. In light of this, victims of a birth injury can recover compensation for a wide spectrum of injuries and losses that such an accident causes, including compensation for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- General pain and suffering
- An inability to enjoy life
- Reduction in earning capacity over the rest of their life
A DuPage County childbirth injury lawyer could help victims and their families pursue restitution for these losses in a personal injury lawsuit against the doctor, surgeon, or hospital that was ultimately responsible for the negligent behavior that led to the injuries.
Reach Out to a DuPage County Birth Injury Attorney
Birth injuries are traumatic for everyone involved. Not only does the young victim suffer the consequences of someone else’s poor decisions or negligent conduct, but the parents and the rest of the victim’s family have to cope with the difficulties and the added strain of a severely hurt child, sibling, or wife.
Recovering compensation for the birth injury can help provide for the needs of a child hurt by a birth injury and endeavor to make sure that they get to live as close to a complete life as possible. A DuPage county birth injury lawyer could work with you to make that happen. Call today for a consultation to learn your legal options.