Common birth injuries

On Behalf of | Sep 29, 2021 | Medical Malpractice |

Some babies born in West Virginia hospitals are injured during birth. In many cases, birth injuries happen because of factors that are out of the doctor’s control such as the position or the size of the baby. There are also many birth injuries that are caused by doctor errors and other types of medical negligence. Here are some of the more common birth injuries..

Brachial palsy

Brachial palsy is a birth injury that may last a short time, but it could also be permanent. When there is nerve damage during birth, a baby may suffer from a brachial palsy injury that causes a loss of movement in their arm and hand. Brachial palsy injuries often require several medical exams to diagnose and physical therapy to correct.

Fractures

A fracture is a broken bone, and unfortunately, this type of injury can happen during difficult deliveries. The most common types of birth fractures involve the clavicle or the humerus bones. Healing a birth fracture usually just takes time and may require a splint.

Cephalohematoma

A cephalohematoma is bleeding that can occur on a baby’s head between the outer tissue and the skull. This injury is usually not noticeable immediately and may appear a few hours after birth. Cephalohematoma is more common in births that involve the use of forceps or vacuum extraction tools. It could take weeks or months for the baby’s head to go back to normal after a cephalohematoma.

You may be able to sue over your baby’s birth injury

If your baby suffered from a birth injury, you may have been told by the hospital that it was unavoidable. However, there is often medical negligence involved in birth injuries that hospitals don’t want parents to know about. You may be able to sue the hospital for their part.