Warning Signs That Your Child May Have Suffered a Birth Injury

Article authored by David Chester Ohio birth injury lawyer.

While the birth of a child is the most wondrous experience for most parents, unfortunately, not all births go as smoothly as everyone hopes and there is a small possibility that any child will suffer a birth injury during delivery. Hospitals and doctors normally take every precaution to prevent a birth injury, but they do happen, and if it happens to your child, you will need to contract the services of an experienced birth injury law firm.

Signs of a Birth Injury

A depressing problem existing in many hospitals today is a lack of caring on the part of the insurance companies.

Many birth injury attorneys have seen that all too often, the mother is pushed into leaving the hospital as soon as she can, under threat of the insurance carrier not paying for any costs incurred during her hospital stay.

Because of this and other factors, any birth injury that your child may have received during delivery may not be caught early enough to be treated. Added to this depressing statistic is the fact that it is not always easy to spot signs of a birth injury, even if the staff has the luxury of being able to keep the child under observation for a longer period of time.

Even mothers who have had a number of children cannot always determine through contact with their child if their child has sustained a birth injury.

A birth injury can leave lasting damage behind, but yet not show any obvious signs that it has occurred. All too often, the mother will have no evidence that an injury has occurred during birth until later checks upon the child’s development through their pediatrician shows a distinct lack of development.

Immediate Signs of a Birth Injury

There have been cases where there were signs immediately after birth that indicated that a child had sustained a birth injury, and may have been overlooked by the hospital staff, especially if that child had been born prematurely. Again, limitations on insurance coverage can also sadly lead to infants not receiving proper treatment for a birth injury, and this can really take its toll on the child’s later development.

Early signs that your child may have sustained a birth injury during delivery include:

  • Abrasions, bruising and swelling around the infant’s face, head, neck or shoulder
  • Unexplained seizures that can develop as late as 48 hours after delivery
  • The infant fails to begin breathing on its own after delivery
  • An overall floppy appearance that may indicate no muscle tone present
  • One or more limbs seem to be too limp

Developmental Signs of a Birth Injury

A trend that has been noticed of late by parents of a newborn is the shocking fact that many signs of a birth injury will go unnoticed, even by their pediatricians, until the child fails to meet the standards of development in a normal child. For many parents, this revelation can be shocking and heartbreaking, and if this happens to you, you should alert a birth injury law firm as soon as you can.

This law firm will require all of your child’s medical records for examination to prove that the signs were obviously missed by the pediatrician. A skilled and experienced birth injury lawyer will use these records to argue that your child’s birth injury could have been caught earlier and treated, and your child’s development restored.

The following signs of a birth injury that may appear along the path normal development of a child would take are meant to be a guideline only. Please always keep in mind that every child develops differently. Some of these signs and symptoms may be shocking but are included to illustrate some of the more obvious signs of a birth injury that can appear as your child grows.

Signs of a Birth Injury During Developmental Stages

One Month in Baby’s Development

  • The baby sucks and feeds slowly
  • Baby does not blink when shown a bright light
  • Baby will rarely move its arms and legs may seem alternately stiff, floppy or loose in the limbs.

Three Months in Infants Development

  • Infant does not respond to loud sounds
  • Infant will not grasp and hold objects
  • Infant cannot support its head on its own
  • Infant will not push down with its legs whenever its feet are placed on a solid surface

Seven Months in Child’s Development

  • Child seems to hold itself stiff, with very tight muscles
  • Child may seem to be overly floppy, and will not roll over at all
  • Child cannot sit up without help

One Year in Child’s Development

  • Child will not crawl
  • Child cannot stand, even when supported
  • Child cannot speak even the simplest of words, not even Mama or Dada

Only a doctor can expertly diagnose these symptoms as being signs of a birth injury.

Your birth injury lawyer will tell you that if your own pediatrician has missed these signs, having another doctor examine your child will determine for certain if these symptoms truly are signs of your child has sustained a birth injury. Get a 2nd opinion from another pediatric doctor if you have any concerns about what you are being told by your child’s’ current doctor.

These are very difficult times for a parent and getting legal advice early on is extremely important.

If you live in Ohio and suspect that your newborn or child may have a birth injury contact the Ohio law firm of Chester Law Group who have experienced attorneys that can help you navigate an Ohio birth injury case.

Chester Law Group has 16 offices across the state of Ohio which gives their clients a convenient opportunity for one-on-one discussions about any possible Ohio personal injury claims.

DISCLAIMER: When necessary, Chester Law Group with client consent teams up with litigation co-counsel with trial experience in medical malpractice claims to help clients achieve the best results possible.