Detroit Birth Injury Lawyer

Welcoming a new life into the world is a momentous event. Parents hope for healthy children with full and happy futures. You may put your trust in medical professionals to safely deliver your baby.

Sadly, some new parents will be disappointed. According to one medical journal, birth injuries can cause permanent disabilities or even death. Some birth injuries are unavoidable “despite skilled and competent obstetrical care,” while others “occur because of inappropriate or deficient medical skills.”

Mike Morse Law Firm investigates birth injury cases. We proudly serve parents in Detroit, offering free consultations to determine if medical malpractice played a role in birth trauma. And if the evidence shows medical negligence is to blame, our birth injury lawyers help families like you seek damages from the responsible parties.

Detroit Labor and Delivery Birth Injuries To Investigate

Of the 3,791,712 registered births in the United States in 2018, none were without risk of injury to the child and mother. Yet, when a newborn has a birth injury, it may be the fault of a medical professional. Birth injuries could also be due to the doctor’s failure to diagnose a medical condition on the part of the mother or baby.

We invite you to examine the following birth injury information about labor and delivery injuries. If one of these conditions may be affecting your child, please contact one of our compassionate Detroit birth injury attorneys at 855-MIKE-WINS. Our legal team of birth injury attorneys can investigate the circumstances of your labor and delivery to reveal the truth about what caused harm to your baby.

Cerebral palsy

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describe the cause of cerebral palsy as the “abnormal development of the brain or damage to the developing brain that affects a child’s ability to control his or her muscles.”

Congenital cerebral palsy starts before or during birth. According to the CDC, the exact cause of congenital cerebral palsy may be unknown. Yet, certain risk factors increase the chance that a child will develop cerebral palsy, including:

• Assisted reproductive technology:Mothers who conceive with the help of fertility treatments are more likely to have multiple births or premature babies. Both of these conditions are associated with cerebral palsy.
• Infections during gestation: One of the dangerous symptoms of chickenpox, rubella, and other viral or bacterial infections is high fever. The pregnant woman’s high temperature triggers proteins called cytokines to circulate in the brain and blood of her unborn child. These proteins can cause brain damage resulting in cerebral palsy.
• Jaundice and kernicterus: A buildup of a blood chemical called bilirubin in the skin and whites of the eyes of babies, making the eyes appear yellowish. Kernicterus, which occurs when severe jaundice goes untreated for too long, causes cerebral palsy.
• Low birthweight: Babies born at less than 5.5 pounds are at high risk of having this birth disorder.
• Multiple births: Babies that share the womb with one or more siblings have a higher chance of developing cerebral palsy. The risk increases if one of the babies dies before or soon after birth.
• Premature birth: Babies born before week 37 of pregnancy have the greatest chance of being born with cerebral palsy.
• Maternal medical conditions: Thyroid problems, seizures, and intellectual disabilities slightly increase her risk of giving birth to a child with palsy.
• Birth complications: Anything that interrupts the oxygen supply to the baby – uterine rupture, umbilical cord problems, or detachment of the placenta, for example – can increase the probability of cerebral palsy.

When this disorder occurs after the first 28 days of an infant’s life, it is called acquired cerebral palsy. The 3 main causes are associated with the brain:

• Infection (e.g. meningitis or encephalitis)
• Injury (e.g. car accidents)
• Blood flow issues (e.g. strokes, malformed blood vessels, or sickle cell disease)

You may qualify for compensation if your child’s cerebral palsy is the result of medical negligence. Contacting our lawyers for birth injuries can help you recover your peace of mind and focus on what’s truly important – your child.

Brachial plexus

Neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) is the most common nerve injury in children. It can be an inherited familial trait or result from a birth injury. Infants may be injured in the womb or during labor.

NBPP affects the arms, limiting the child’s range of motion and contributing to frequent joint dislocation. Muscles of children affected by NBPP shorten and harden, resulting in deformity and rigidity. In time, the muscles decline and waste away (atrophy).

In 30 to 40 percent of babies, the damage is permanent. These children will never have fully functioning upper extremities.

Erb’s palsy

Like brachial plexus, Erb’s palsy results from damage to the nerves. In this condition, the upper and lower arms may hang limply from their shoulders. Someone who suffers from Erb’s palsy may have wrists and fingers that involuntarily flex or bend because they lack the muscle strength to straighten them.

Erb’s palsy may occur as a result of a cesarean section (also called a C section). Or the baby’s shoulder may get caught above the pubic bone of its mother during vaginal delivery.

Most babies, between 80 to 96 percent, recover from Erb’s palsy within a number of months. Otherwise, they may need surgery to avoid permanent disability.

The birth injury laws of Michigan allow some time for you to file claims for these types of birth injuries. So even if your child was born a few years ago, our birth injury lawyers can still fight hard to get you every penny you deserve.

Eye injuries

Minor eye issues, such as bloodshot eyes or small blood clots, are common after labor and may go away on their own. On the other hand, if the pressure of delivery aids on the veins of the neck is excessive, the child could have permanent vision problems without proper treatment.

Seek the advice of an ophthalmologist. He or she can diagnose your baby’s eye condition and give you advice on how to treat it.

Head trauma and skull fractures

Newborn babies must be handled with care and expertise. Without proper technique, a medical practitioner may cause injury wounds, bleeding, or fractures. For instance, tools used during vaginal deliveries are the most common cause of skull fractures.

Researchers also link tools, especially forceps, to damage to the facial nerve. When this nerve is compromised, children may have difficulty moving or controlling movements on the affected side of their face.

Head injuries can result in brain damage, deformities, infection, swelling, and death. A birth injury attorney can help you plan your next step if your child has a head injury. Visit us at our local law office in Southfield, Michigan, to discuss your birth injury case with an experienced injury lawyer.

Skeletal or spinal cord injuries

Spinal cord injuries are rare, but they are devastating when they do occur. These types of injuries may occur if there is too much pulling or rotation of the spinal cord while the baby is being taken from the birth canal. Spinal cord injuries can affect bladder and bowel function, mobility, and motor control.

Birth traumas come in various forms and can be mild to life-threatening. If your child experiences any type of health issue during or after delivery, you deserve to know why. Did instrumented delivery play a role?

If this question is in your mind, let us put our expertise to work for you. Our knowledgeable Detroit personal injury attorneys can examine all the details of your pregnancy and delivery to determine if your baby’s injuries are related to medical negligence.